WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — April 17, 2025 — President Donald J. Trump issued a proclamation modifying the management of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), which was previously established and expanded by Proclamations 8336 (2009) and 9173 (2014).
Key Points:
- Commercial Fishing Allowed: The proclamation lifts the prohibition on commercial fishing in areas of the PRIMNM that are between 50 to 200 nautical miles from land and within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Only U.S.-flagged vessels are permitted to fish, although foreign vessels may be allowed to transship U.S.-harvested fish.
- Justification: The proclamation argues that commercial fishing, if properly managed, does not threaten the monument’s protected scientific and historic objects (e.g., fish, coral, birds, marine mammals). It highlights that many species are migratory and that existing federal laws already provide sufficient environmental protection.
- Economic Concerns: The change is aimed at supporting U.S. fishing fleets and U.S. territories like American Samoa, which depend heavily on the fishing industry. The current fishing ban is described as economically harmful and unnecessarily restrictive.
- Agency Responsibilities:
- The Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce are responsible for implementing the new management regime.
- The Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA, will lead on fishery-related activities and must publish new rules to repeal or amend restrictive fishing regulations.
- Coordination with the Secretary of Defense is required for fishing regulations, particularly due to defense-related activities in the region.
- Environmental Protections Maintained: Existing environmental protections under laws like the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Clean Water Act remain in effect.
- Defense and Sovereignty: The U.S. retains full military and navigational rights in the region, and Wake Island and Johnston Atoll continue under the management of the Department of Defense.
This proclamation reflects a shift toward reopening U.S. waters to commercial fishing while asserting that environmental protections remain intact under other laws.
Read the full proclamation here
Watch Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments on the proclamation here