WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation to restore commercial fishing access to nearly half a million square miles in the Pacific.
The proclamation restores commercial fishing access to the Mau and Ho'omalu Zones of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument.
Prohibiting commercial fishing is not necessary for the proper care and management of these Monuments, as many fish species are highly migratory, not unique to the area, and are already protected through existing laws, such as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the White House said.
Prohibiting commercial fishing in this area also artificially restricts domestic fish supply, which makes the United States reliant on foreign sources for our food supply and increases the cost of seafood for everyday Americans, it added.
President Trump is committed to removing unnecessary restrictions on American fishermen in order to enhance U.S. domestic seafood production and lower seafood prices, support American jobs, and promote food and national security, according to the White House.
In April last year, Trump signed a proclamation to restore commercial fishing access in the Pacific Ocean, opening the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
In February, he Trump signed a proclamation to unleash commercial fishing access in the Atlantic Ocean, opening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
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