From left: Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, President Donald J. Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds.
Amata Hails President Trump’s Proclamation Restoring Fishing
Flag Day Proclamation Supports American Samoa and U.S. Food Security
News Release from Rep Aumua Amata (R-AS) April 17, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is hailing President Trump’s Proclamation restoring fishing waters, which will expand options for the U.S. tuna fleet out of Pago Pago Harbor. President Trump made the Proclamation on April 17th, coinciding with American Samoa’s 125th Flag Day, which celebrates the first official raising of the U.S. flag in American Samoa in the year 1900.
Amata, who requested action on this important issue, was delighted to be at the White House for the President’s Proclamation, and thank President Trump personally for restoring fishing for Pacific Island communities in the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) between 50-200 miles offshore.
“Thank you, President Trump! This sensible Proclamation is important to the stability and future of American Samoa’s economy, but it also is fantastic news for U.S. food security,” said Congresswoman Amata. “The vast Pacific Islands area cannot fall under the domination of an increasingly aggressive CCP. Instead, President Trump’s key action strengthens our American fishing fleet and helps combat malign activities by the CCP with increased U.S. fishing presence along with Coast Guard operations.”
The President’s Proclamation boosts American commercial fishing presence and economic activity in the Pacific islands region; helps reassert U.S. commitment and energetic presence in the Pacific; helps reduce I.U.U. fishing; combats malign activities by the CCP in the region based on U.S. commercial and Coast Guard presence; and enhances the nation’s food security by securing our supply chain of healthy tuna, serving our Buy America school lunch and military K-rations, and reducing unnecessary reliance on imported fish.
“Our U.S. fleet of law-abiding, thoroughly regulated fishermen is preferable to dependence on other nations supply, and highly preferable to the Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing practices that are a problem in our shared ocean. The American fleet is part of the solution, not the problem. I appreciate this strong, patriotic, common sense, and economically wise decision by President Trump,” concluded Rep. Amata.
Special thanks to Governor Pula’ali’i Nikolao Pula, Lt. Governor Pulu Ae Ae, Archie Taotasi Soliai, Will Sword, Kitty Simonds, Ricardo da Rosa, Erik Kekoa Kingma, John Myking, and Sean Martin.
Background
In 2014, President Obama increased the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) from the original 80,000 square miles under President Bush to an unbelievable 490,000 square miles; and extended the fishing ban from 50-200 miles.
For perspective, the original PRIMNM area created was the size of Minnesota (80,000 sq. miles); and President Obama increased it six-fold adding the equivalent of California (260,000 sq. miles) and Texas (150,000 sq. miles) and eliminating fishing in the process. This PRIMNM area and fishing ban is five times the size of all the Great Lakes combined! In fact, it is roughly 20 percent the size of the lower 48 states and the smallest 20 states would fit in the PRIMNM area with its fishing ban in open ocean waters.
There was never any science justifying this fishing ban. Restoration of fishing from 50-200 miles will not negate any protections for existing inland waterway, beach, coral, or any other near-shore fishing species, flora or fauna.
NR: President Trump Opens Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument to Commercial Fishing | House Committee on Natural Resources
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Trump Issues Proclamation on "Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific"
News release from Saving Seafood, April 17, 2025
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) -- April 17, 2025 -- President Donald J. Trump issued a proclamation modifying the management of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), which was previously established and expanded by Proclamations 8336 (2009) and 9173 (2014).
Key Points:
Commercial Fishing Allowed: The proclamation lifts the prohibition on commercial fishing in areas of the PRIMNM that are between 50 to 200 nautical miles from land and within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Only U.S.-flagged vessels are permitted to fish, although foreign vessels may be allowed to transship U.S.-harvested fish.
Justification: The proclamation argues that commercial fishing, if properly managed, does not threaten the monument’s protected scientific and historic objects (e.g., fish, coral, birds, marine mammals). It highlights that many species are migratory and that existing federal laws already provide sufficient environmental protection.
Economic Concerns: The change is aimed at supporting U.S. fishing fleets and U.S. territories like American Samoa, which depend heavily on the fishing industry. The current fishing ban is described as economically harmful and unnecessarily restrictive.
Agency Responsibilities:
The Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce are responsible for implementing the new management regime.
The Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA, will lead on fishery-related activities and must publish new rules to repeal or amend restrictive fishing regulations.
Coordination with the Secretary of Defense is required for fishing regulations, particularly due to defense-related activities in the region.
Environmental Protections Maintained: Existing environmental protections under laws like the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Clean Water Act remain in effect.
Defense and Sovereignty: The U.S. retains full military and navigational rights in the region, and Wake Island and Johnston Atoll continue under the management of the Department of Defense.
This proclamation reflects a shift toward reopening U.S. waters to commercial fishing while asserting that environmental protections remain intact under other laws.
Read the full proclamation here
Watch Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's comments on the proclamation here
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Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Unleashes American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific
The White House, April 17, 2025
UNLEASHING OPPORTUNITY IN THE PACIFIC: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation to unleash American commercial fishing in the Pacific Ocean—a key component of the America First Fishing Policy.
The proclamation opens the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) to commercial fishing, boosting the economy of American Samoa.
It allows U.S.-flagged vessels to fish commercially within 50 to 200 nautical miles of the PRIMNM’s boundaries.
EMPOWERING AMERICAN COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN: President Trump believes that removing unnecessary restrictions on American fishermen will strengthen the U.S. economy, support local communities, and restore fairness to an industry disadvantaged by overregulation and foreign competition.
The PRIMNM was first established by President Bush in 2009 and then expanded by President Obama, closing off over 400,000 square miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific.
The ban on commercial fishing within the PRIMNM did little to guard fish populations against overfishing, as tuna and other pelagic species are migratory in nature and do not permanently reside within the PRIMNM.
As a result of the prohibitions on commercial fishing, American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands. This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets, most notably from China. By supporting honest American fishermen, we combat the rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing by foreign fleets.
This disadvantages United States commercial fishermen and is detrimental for United States territories like American Samoa, whose private sector economy is dependent on the fishing industry. American Samoa is home to the only Buy American-compliant tuna processing facility for U.S. military rations and school lunch programs. This cannery is the largest employer on the island, providing about 5,000 jobs. In fact, the cannery accounts for 99.5% of American Samoa’s exports and 84% of the private employment in the territory.
ADVANCING U.S. ECONOMIC INTERESTS: President Trump’s actions to revitalize commercial fishing are part of his broader strategy to unleash the full potential of the American economy by prioritizing deregulation and cutting red tape.
-President Trump launched a 10-to-1 deregulation initiative, ensuring every new Federal rule is justified by clear benefits and accompanied by much larger deregulatory measures.
-President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to cut red tape, enhance private sector investments, advance innovation, and streamline the permitting process across all forms of American energy.
-President Trump established the “Department of Government Efficiency” to examine how to streamline the operations of the Federal Government, eliminate unnecessary programs and wasteful spending, and reduce bureaucratic inefficiency.
-President Trump has already reduced unnecessarily large governmental entities and terminated numerous harmful Biden expansions of governmental authority.
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TEXT: Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific – The White House
UPI: Trump allows commercial fishing in previously banned waters of the Pacific Ocean - UPI.com
CB: Trump Lifts Commercial Fishing Ban On Key Protected Area In Central Pacific - Honolulu Civil Beat
SA: Trump opens huge Central Pacific protected zone to commercial fishing | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SA: Trump allows commercial fishing in marine monument | Honolulu Star-Advertiser