"The president said the move was aimed at making the United States the world’s “dominant seafood leader.”"

"President Trump on Thursday said he was allowing commercial fishing in one of the world’s largest ocean reserves, introducing industrial operations for the first time in more than a decade to a vast area of the Pacific dotted with coral atolls and populated by endangered sea turtles and whales.

Mr. Trump issued an executive order opening up the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, which lies some 750 miles west of Hawaii. President George W. Bush established the monument in 2009 and President Barack Obama expanded it in 2014 to its current area of nearly 500,000 square miles.

A second executive order directed the Commerce Department to loosen regulations that “overly burden America’s commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries.” It also asks the Interior Department to conduct a review of all marine monuments and issue recommendations about any that should be opened to commercial fishing."

Rebecca Dzombak and Lisa Friedman report for the New York Times April 17, 2025. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Trump Lifts Commercial Fishing Ban On Key Protected Area In Central Pacific" (Honolulu Civil Beat) [3]

"Trump Order Seeks Looser Regulation Of US Fishing Industry" (Reuters) [4]