Mixed reactions to fishing flip in several Pacific waters

An executive order by Donald Trump to restore commercial fishing in several protected waters has had mixed responses.

The order applies to the Mau Zone, Ho'omalu Zone and areas seaward of 50 nautical miles within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument around Hawai'i, as well as the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument around American Samoa.

Dr Kekuewa Kikiloi from the University of Hawai'i told Pacific Waves his feelings about Trump's proclamation.

"I was pretty disappointed, you know, that they decided to that," he said.

"I don't know if I would say I was surprised though because there were some indicators already that this was going to happen."

He said Papahānaumokuākea is important to protect, as it is culturally significant to its indigenous community.

Located north-west of the Hawaiian islands stretching almost 600,000 square miles, the Papahānaumokuākea marine sanctuary consists of coral islands, reefs, deep-water habitats, and open ocean waters visited for centuries by early Kānaka Maoli voyagers.

Dr Kikiloi said protecting the marine sanctuary started in the early 2000s as an attempt to understand the archipelago which was lost to "cultural amnesia" since the overthrow of the Hawai'ian kingdom by the United States more than a century ago.

"They were places that were I guess, the sites of where our origin stories were started off, like the Kumulipo and the creation of earth and you know, it's a place from which our spirits return to after death."

According to the University of Hawai'i the no-fishing zones - put in place in 2006 and expanded in 2016 - have helped restore tuna and other fish species within Papahānaumokuākea, leading to an increased catch rate for yellowfin tuna by 54 percent and bigeye tuna by 12 percent in nearby waters.

Dr Kikiloi said that opening the Papahānaumokuākea marine monument to commercial fishing will be environmentally disruptive.

"When people argue for commercial fishing they think, 'oh you know what's the big deal for catching some tuna and some pelagics?'

"When you make that assumption it sort of ignores the fact there is a like an interconnected ecology that's happening between the offshore, the near shore, avian bird species that fly throughout the area and rely on that... and so that whole world, native world of native animals and plants and all of that becomes affected."

Dr Kikiloi also criticised comments by American Samoa's congresswoman Uifa'atali Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, who said she supports Trump's proclamation but believes Rose Atoll marine area is off limits - saying it has "special significance".

"I find it really hurtful as a native of the Pacific - like she is for one of our neighbours and our cousins - to tell us what we should be doing in our place, in terms of opening it up to fishing, but she's not willing to do it in her place.

"I don't really appreciate those kinds of comments, and I don't think the people in Hawai'i appreciate that."

Meanwhile, environmental group Earthjustice said they'll see the administration in court.

But there are also those pleased to see the commercial fishing bans lifted.

In his proclamation, Trump said appropriately managed commercial fishing under existing rules will not put the historic and scientific objects within these areas at risk.

The Pacific Island Times reported Marianas governor David Apatang saying the declaration supports opportunities for responsible fisheries development while maintaining strong conservation standards.

"For generations, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands have relied on the ocean for sustenance, culture and economic opportunity," he said.

He said the CNMI shares a common interest with other US Pacific jurisdictions in supporting local fisheries, exploring economic opportunities and enhancing food security "through the responsible use of marine resources".

American Samoa Governor Pula Nikolao Pula said the fishing restrictions had meant American Samoa's longline fleet had been pushed offshore into international waters to harvest highly migratory tuna, the backbone of the territory's economy.

"This action strengthens what tuna sustains: our cannery, our workforce, our families, and the last major American tuna processing hub in the Pacific," Pula said.