WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a sweeping executive action that directly alters the landscape of U.S. marine conservation policy, President Donald J. Trump has officially signed an Executive Proclamation restoring American commercial fishing access to nearly half a million square miles of the Western Pacific Ocean.

The move systematically unravels strict environmental protections dating back to the Obama-Biden administration, shifting regulatory authority away from blanket federal bans and back to regional management councils.

The announcement represents the latest pillar in the administration’s “America First Fishing Policy,” which previously targeted restrictions in the Pacific Remote Islands (April 2025) and the Atlantic’s Northeast Canyons (February 2026).

Dismantling “Radical” Federal Restrictions

Speaking from the White House alongside prominent industry figures and cabinet members, President Trump framed the previous restrictions as an unnecessary blow to domestic food security and blue-collar livelihoods.

“Hundreds of thousands of square miles of ocean was cut off for them. They can’t fish. Other people could fish. They couldn’t,” Trump stated, criticizing the logic of locking out domestic fleets. “Those decisions closed off vast resources and really the richest fishing grounds they say anywhere in the world, destroyed livelihoods, and made the United States more dependent on foreign products.”

The proclamation modifies protections across three major marine reserves:

• The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument: Restores access to the Mau and Hoʻomalu zones, specifically opening waters between 50 and 200 nautical miles from shore.
• The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument: Reopens the Islands Unit to commercial fleets.
• The Rose Atoll Marine National Monument: Permits fishing within waters between 12 and 50 nautical miles surrounding the atoll.

Under the text of the new proclamation, these waters will be restricted exclusively to United States flagged vessels, though foreign vessels may be permitted to transship fish harvested directly by American crews.