PACIFIC ISLANDS FISHERY NEWS Newsletter of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council / Special Issue ISSN 2151-2329 (PRINT) ISSN 2151-2337 (ONLINE)
Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion Proposal Editor’s Note: The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council discussed at its 191st meeting a proposal to further expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), closing waters 50 to 200 nautical miles seaward of Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef and Howland and Baker Islands. This is equivalent to nearly half of the Gulf of Mexico. The existing PRIMNM closes all waters 0 to 200 nm around Wake Atoll, Johnston Atoll and Jarvis Island, and waters 0 to 50 nm from the proposed island areas. Council member quotes are taken from the June 2022 meeting. Under the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) the United States has exclusive fishery management authority over all fishery resources found within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (i.e., 3-200 nm). The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has authority over the fisheries based in, and surrounding, the State of Hawai‘i, the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) of the Western Pacific Region. The PRIA are unique and unlike the territories due to their remoteness, lack of infrastructure and uninhabited nature. The PRIA com prise Baker, Howland and Jarvis Islands; Johnston, Wake and Palmyra Atolls; and Kingman Reef. Each highly productive island area offers immense biodiversity within its coral reef ecosystem and bol sters U.S. fisheries by providing access to resources. As a result, the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monu ment (PRIMNM) was established CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
“The Antiquities Act was intended to protect burial sites and relics of indigenous people. It is not an appropriate approach to marine conservation - we have the MSA for that,” said John Gourley, Council vice chair from the CNMI. “Monument designation bypasses the courtesy of involving affected communities. Monuments are an unfunded mandate, and their designation does not mean that there will be money to support enforcement of regulations by the U.S. Coast Guard. This happened with the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument—it’s a paper park. It seems like there’s more concern about who has the largest monument than about what the purposes of the monument are.” Hawai‘i Council member Matt Ramsey said, “To avoid unintended consequences, it’s critical that stakeholder engagement occurs early on in the process of developing a fisheries management proposal. Those most impacted by a management action need to have an opportunity to learn about the proposed action and share their perspective.”