On Friday evening, the federal district court in Honolulu ruled that commercial fishing cannot legally continue in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, which is located to the south and southwest of Hawai‘i. The court’s order declares unlawful and cancels the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) April 25 letter that purported to authorize commercial fishing in the portions of the monument that President Obama protected in 2014. NMFS issued the letter despite lawfully enacted regulations prohibiting such fishing that remain on the books.
The order states that “no commercial fishing operators may reasonably rely on [the letter].” Commercial fishing in the waters between 50 and 200 nautical miles around Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, and Wake Island should cease immediately.
