A court in Hawai'i has tossed a federal directive allowing commercial fishing in protected Pacific waters, in defiance of orders from the White House. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a notice on April 2025 authorising commercial fishing within the , an area spanning more than 1.2 million square kilometers of ocean.
This notice was pursuant to an executive order from US President Donald Trump, titled "Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific", that dismantled fishing protections in certain parts of the monument.
Since the NMFS letter was issued, commercial fishing operations quickly began in waters between 50 and 200 nautical miles around Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, and Wake Island.
Original Article: Hawaiian conservationists win legal battle to protect marine sanctuary
