Protected marine areas – Asia Pacific Report

Trump’s fishing decision threatens Pacific communities, NGO warns

APR editor — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 02:29:19 +0000

By Mark Rabago of RNZ Pacific

A conservation group has condemned Donald Trump’s decision to allow commercial fishing in parts of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

US President Trump signed an executive order on June 11 opening protected waters around Hawai’i, American Samoa and the Northern Marianas.

It totals nearly 1.3 million sq km of protected Pacific waters for commercial fishing.

READ MORE: Other Mariana Trench reports

Trump claims appropriately managed fishing will not put these areas at any risk.

In a statement, the Friends of the Mariana Trench said this threatened Pacific communities, cultural heritage, and local stewardship of the ocean.

It said the move undermined protections that were established to safeguard waters important to the Chamorro and Refaluwasch people.

“True conservation requires persistence. Since 2007, our advocacy for the Mariana Trench has been unyielding, and it will remain so,” the group said.

Standing in solidarity
“We stand in solidarity with Pacific communities whose cultural heritage is currently being eroded by the Trump administration-from the access granted to commercial vessels in sacred areas, to the leasing of our seabed for deep-sea mining and the threats of nuclear waste.”

The group said waters that were set aside to honour traditional fishing practices were now being “sacrificed for industrial gain”.

“While this is a significant setback, our fight for healthy oceans and the communities that depend on them is far from over.”

The statement was signed by board members Sheila Babauta, Franco Santos, Tina Sablan, Ignacio Cabrera, Angelo Villagomez, Romana Chong and Kina Rangamar.

Trump’s proclamation removes monument-based prohibitions on commercial fishing in the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, as well as portions of marine monuments in Hawai’i and American Samoa.

The administration said existing federal fisheries laws and environmental protections provide sufficient safeguards for marine resources while allowing greater economic activity.

The proclamation argues that commercial fishing can be sustainably managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as well as other federal laws protecting endangered species, marine mammals, habitats, and ocean resources.

White House signing
The action came after CNMI’s delegate to the US Congress, Kimberlyn King-Hinds, attended the White House signing ceremony.

She said any implementation must involve local fishermen, the CNMI government, scientists, environmental stakeholders, and the wider community.

“The CNMI respects the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument and the environmental importance of the waters around our islands,” King-Hinds said.

“At the same time, the people who live closest to these waters should have a meaningful voice in how they are managed.”

King-Hinds said the proclamation creates a path for American fishing activity under existing federal law while keeping science-based management and conservation requirements in place.

The proclamation limits commercial fishing within monument boundaries to US-flagged vessels, although permits may be issued for foreign-flagged vessels transporting fish harvested by American fishermen.

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French Polynesia president announces huge highly protected marine area

APR editor — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 13:33:31 +0000

RNZ Pacific

French Polynesia’s president has announced his administration will establish one of the world’s largest networks of highly protected marine areas (MPAs).

The highly protected areas will safeguard 220,000 sq km of remote waters near the Society Islands and 680,000 sq km near the Gambier Islands.

Speaking at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, President Moetai Brotherson pledged to protect nearly 23 percent of French Polynesia’s waters.

“In French Polynesia, the ocean is much more than a territory — it’s the source of life, culture, and identity,” he said.

“By strengthening the protection of Tainui Atea (the existing marine managed area that encompasses all French Polynesian waters) and laying the foundations for future marine protected areas . . . we are asserting our ecological sovereignty while creating biodiversity sanctuaries for our people and future generations.”

Once implemented, this would be one of the world’s single-largest designations of highly protected ocean space in history.

Access will be limited, and all forms of extraction, such as fishing and mining, will be banned.

Highly protected
The government is also aiming to create a highly protected artisanal fishing zone that extends about 28 km from the Austral, Marquesas, and Gambier islands and 55.5 km around the Society Islands.

Fishing in that zone will be limited to traditional single pole-and-line catch from boats less than 12m long.

Together, the zones encompass an area about twice the size of continental France.

President Brotherson also promised to create additional artisanal fishing zones and two more large, highly protected MPAs within the next year near the Austral and Marquesas islands.

He also committed to bolster conservation measures within the rest of French Polynesia’s waters.

Donatien Tanret, who leads Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy’s work in French Polynesia, said local communities had made it clear that they wanted to see stronger protections that reflected both scientific guidance and their ancestral culture for future generations.

“These protections and commitments to future designations are a powerful example of how local leadership and traditional measures such as rāhui can address modern challenges.”

Samoa announces MPAs
Before the conference, Samoa adopted a legally binding Marine Spatial Plan — a step to fully protect 30 percent and ensure sustainable management of 100 percent of its ocean.

The plan includes the establishment of nine new fully protected MPAs, covering 36,000 sq km of ocean.

Toeolesulsulu Cedric Schuster, Samoa’s Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, said Samoa was a large ocean state and its way of life was under increased threat from issues including climate change and overfishing.

“This Marine Spatial Plan marks a historic step towards ensuring that our ocean remains prosperous and healthy to support all future generations of Samoans — just as it did for us and our ancestors.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.