Photo: James Watt

The federal administration continued its assault on environmental protections by opening three federal marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing.

On June 11, President Trump signed a proclamation to weaken three of America's marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean, rolling back protections for roughly half a million square miles of pristine ocean habitat. The proclamation removes the prohibition on commercial fishing for parts of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. The move opens these outstanding ocean conservation areas to future damage from fishing gear and industrial harvest.

Today’s announcement is part of a larger trend by the Trump administration of gutting conservation through continued attacks on our nation’s public lands and waters. Over the past 16 months, the administration has also weakened protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument south of Hawaii. Collectively these alarming rollbacks are undermining decades of ocean conservation work advanced by both Democrat and Republican administrations.

"Our oceans are deeply interconnected, with intricate and fragile ecosystems that sustain marine life, support coastal communities, and hold profound cultural significance. These ecosystems are already facing cumulative stress from warming waters, habitat degradation, pollution, and other human impacts. Marine national monuments provide critical refuge for ecological, cultural, and economic resources, helping maintain healthy and resilient populations of marine life in an increasingly stressed ocean. The benefits of these protected areas extend far beyond their boundaries, and so too will the repercussions of weakening their protections.” said Hanna Lilley, Hawaii Regional Manager with the Surfrider Foundation. “The Trump administration's ill-advised action to remove protections for these marine monuments established under federal law will undermine their purpose to safeguard areas of national significance. Surfrider Foundation strongly opposes the administration’s action to weaken these important conservation designations in the Pacific Ocean.”

National monuments are created under the Antiquities Act and have a long history of bipartisan support. Congress passed the Antiquities Act in 1906, giving presidents the ability to protect cultural, historical, and ecological resources on federally-owned public lands and waters through designating national monuments. Since then, 18 presidents (nine Democratic and nine Republican) have established or expanded more than 160 national monuments, including five marine monuments. National monuments are extremely popular and enjoy strong support from the American public.

Surfrider’s network has been a strong supporter of marine national monuments for decades. Most notably, Surfrider’s Hawaii network supported the designation of Papahānaumokuākea in 2006 under the Bush administration, as well as the monument’s expansion in 2016 under the Obama administration. More recently, Surfrider supported the creation of a Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary through grassroots advocacy and testimony during public meetings to create an additional layer of protection for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

While the Trump administration’s announcement to weaken three national marine monuments is hugely disappointing, Surfrider's network will continue to fight to protect these and other federal marine protected areas from rollbacks, including both national monuments and national marine sanctuaries. We also will continue our advocacy in congress to ensure sufficient laws and funding to protect marine resources. To learn more about these efforts, please visit our Defend Marine Protected Areas Campaign page.