Trump Allows Commercial Fishing Again in Protected Pacific Areas but Oregon’s Coastal Fleet May See Little Payoff
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation reopening swathes of the previously protected Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to commercial fishing.
The question being asked is whether this perceived environmental risk benefits Oregon’s dockside industries or commercial fisheries.
Trump Order Reopens Marine Monument to Commercial Fishing
Between 2006 and 2016, Presidents Bush and Obama, under the Antiquities Act, established and expanded the Papahānaumokuākea, Mariana Trench, and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments, imposing strict prohibitions on commercial fishing.
Citing existing comprehensive federal management and conservation authorities, President Trump issued a subsequent proclamation on Thursday modifying these restrictions. The order deems monument-based fishing bans as no longer necessary for proper environmental care.
The administration removed commercial fishing prohibitions within specified zones:
- The Mariana Trench’s Islands Unit
- Designated areas of Papahānaumokuākea
- Waters between 12 and 50 nautical miles around Rose Atoll.
| Papahānaumokuākea | Mau and Ho‘omalu zones, plus areas beyond 50 nautical miles |
| Mariana Trench | Islands Unit reopened to commercial fishing |
| Rose Atoll | Waters from 12 to 50 nautical miles reopened |
| Allowed vessels | U.S. flagged commercial vessels only |
| Protections kept | Closer island and atoll buffers remain restricted |
Source: White House proclamation on restoring American commercial fishing in the Pacific
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It clarifies that previous actions (Proclamation 10918) directly repealed these restrictions rather than leaving them to agency rulemaking, and explicitly limits commercial privileges to U.S.-flagged vessels, while preserving existing protections closer to the islands.
The proclamation lifts restrictions that had prevented U.S. commercial fishing in waters surrounding several remote U.S.-controlled islands and atolls in the central Pacific, including Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, Howland Island, Baker Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll.
Effects Of Reopened Marine Monuments on Oregon Industries
Environmental organizations argue that reopening protected waters threatens the environmental balance and poses risks to large marine vertebrates, such as seals and sea turtles, that get entangled in fishing gear.
While Trump’s order may help Oregon-linked seafood jobs, it’s still unclear whether the reopened remote waters actually matter to Oregon’s dockside fishing economy or larger Pacific supply chains.
State data show Oregon’s dockside fishing economy is still built around local landings such as Dungeness crab, shrimp, groundfish, whiting, and albacore, not remote central Pacific monument waters.
Source: Oregon Sea Grant 2024 Oregon fisheries guide using ODFW landing data
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The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) noted that Oregon commercial fisheries contribute over $600 million in personal income, which equals about 9,200 jobs.
A separate commercial fishing report also details how the state landed 263 million pounds of seafood worth $182 million in 2024. Dungeness crab brought in $99.5 million, pink shrimp $26.6 million, groundfish excluding whiting $21.9 million, whiting $14.7 million, and albacore tuna $8.3 million.
The question remains whether this is a coastal-fleet win or mainly a processing/supply-chain win.