Donald Trump Opens Huge Marine Sanctuary to Fishing: Environmental Impact Feared

Donald Trump’s Latest Impact on Biodiversity

Donald Trump has once again targeted biodiversity with a controversial new decision. On Thursday, April 17, the American president reopened commercial fishing in one of the largest marine sanctuaries in the world, the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, centered in the vast Pacific Ocean.

Established in 2009 during George W. Bush’s presidency, this protected marine area was expanded by Barack Obama in 2014. Spanning nearly 1.3 million square kilometers (an area comparable to Peru), the sanctuary features coral atolls and is home to endangered species such as sea turtles and whales.

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Trump defends his decision as a strategy to support American fishermen, who he claims are forced to fish “further offshore in international waters, competing against poorly regulated and heavily subsidized foreign fleets.”

A directive issued on the same day urges the Commerce Department to relax regulations that burden American fishing and aquaculture activities.

The president also requested the Interior Department to review all marine sanctuaries to identify which ones should be opened to commercial fishing. Thus, the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument might be just the first in a long line of sanctuaries to be targeted for industrial fishing exploitation. Donald Trump stated, “The United States should be the global leader in seafood products.”

This announcement raises concerns. With more than , the United States holds the position of the world’s leading maritime power, surpassing France. In an interview with the New York Times, researcher Angelo Villagomez said that reopening this sanctuary sets a “dangerous precedent.”

“It’s a gift to the industrial fishing fleets, and a slap in the face to science and generations of local people who have long demanded greater protection of these sacred waters,” added Maxx Phillips, director of the NGO Center for Biological Diversity.

According to the Marine Conservation Institute, 18% of U.S. waters are currently off-limits to the most harmful activities to biodiversity, a figure that is below the United Nations’ target of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030. Marine sanctuaries not only benefit ecosystems but also artisanal fishers. For the latter, they can be likened to a financial investment, offering a unique opportunity for fish populations to reproduce extensively, noted marine ecologist Robert H. Richmond in the New York Times.