Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific
Record date: 2025-04-22
Proclamation 10918 of April 17, 2025 Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific A Proclamation The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) was established by Proclamation 8336 of January 6, 2009 (Establishment of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument), and then further expanded by Proclamation 9173 of September 25, 2014 (Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion). Under these monument proclamations, over 400,000 square miles in the Pacific Ocean were appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public
What this record contains
- Federal Register document
- 2025-07060
- Publication date
- 2025-04-22
- Citation
- 90 FR 16987
- Issuing office
- Executive Office of the President
Official record excerpt
Proclamation 10918 of April 17, 2025 Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific A Proclamation The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) was established by Proclamation 8336 of January 6, 2009 (Establishment of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument), and then further expanded by Proclamation 9173 of September 25, 2014 (Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion). Under these monument proclamations, over 400,000 square miles in the Pacific Ocean were appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public land laws for care and management by the Federal Government. The PRIMNM was established to protect and preserve the lands and marine environment around Wake, Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands; Johnston and Palmyra Atolls; Kingman Reef; and the historic and scientific objects therein. These objects include fish, birds, marine mammals, coral, and the general biodiversity of the ecosystems encompassed by the PRIMNM. As part of the management of the PRIMNM, commercial fishing is currently prohibited within its boundaries. As explained herein, following further consideration of the nature of the objects identified in Proclamations 8336 and 9173 and the protection of those objects already provided by relevant law, I find that appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put the objects of scientific and historic interest that the PRIMNM protects at risk. With respect to fish in particular, fisheries in the region are effectively managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. Management of the PRIMNM is doing little to guard fish populations against overfishing as tunas and other pelagic species found within the boundaries of the PRIMNM are migratory in nature, and do not permanently reside within the PRIMNM. As a result of the prohibitions on commercial fishing, American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands. This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets. This disadvantages honest United States commercial fishermen and is detrimental for United States territories like American Samoa, whose private sector economy is over 80 percent dependent on the fishing industry. Proclamations 8336 and 9173 do not list recreational fishing as a threat to local fish populations within the PRIMNM. A host of Federal protections exist under current laws and agency management designations to protect the area's natural resources, vulnerable marine species, and unique habitats, such as coral and seamount ecosystems. These laws include the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act ( 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. ), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Endangered Species Act) ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act ( 16 U.S.C. 703-712 ), the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 ( 16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee ), the Refuge Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. ( printed page 16988) 460k et seq. ), the Marine Mammal Protection Act ( 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq. ), the Clean Water Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq. ), the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (Oil Pollution Act) ( 33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq. ), and Title I of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act), 33 U.S.C. 1401 et seq. For example, the Endangered Species Act generally prohibits the taking of listed fish and wildlife species, and also generally ensures that Federal actions, including fisheries management, are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any such species nor adversely modify designated critical habitats. Numerous other statutes, including the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and the Ocean Dumping Act, address both land-based and ocean-based sources of pollution and help ensure that water quality conditions support the conservation values of the Pacific Remote Island ecosystems. Therefore, I find that appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put objects of scientific and historic interest within the PRIMNM at risk. After further consideration of the nature of the objects identified in Proclamations 8336 and 9173 and the protection of those objects already provided by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other relevant laws, I find that a prohibition on commercial fishing is not, at this
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