NOAA Proposes Reopening Commercial Fishing in Outer Waters of Pacific Remote Islands Monument
NOAA Fisheries published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on November 9 that would lift the commercial fishing prohibition in the expansion area of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. The waters in question are the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone from 50 to 200 nautical miles (about 93 to 370 km) around Johnston Atoll, Wake Island and Jarvis Island. Public comments are due by December 9.
Under the proposal, the ban inside 50 nautical miles would remain in place, while commercial fishing would resume between 50 and 200 nautical miles under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other applicable federal fisheries law. The fisheries expected to resume are the longline and purse-seine fisheries targeting tuna and billfish.
NOAA Fisheries notes that this pelagic gear fishes within 985 feet (300 meters) of the surface and never contacts the seafloor, limiting effects on deep-sea ecosystems. The proposed rule aligns the regulations with Presidential Proclamation 10918 of April 17, 2025, as amended by Proclamation 11035 of June 11, 2026, and with a court order.
The agency has voluntarily prepared an environmental assessment for the action. The rule appears at 91 FR 70827, under RIN 0648-BN99, amending the Pacific Island pelagic fisheries regulations at 50 CFR Part 665. Comments may be submitted through the federal rulemaking portal by December 9.
(Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons「Johnston-Atoll-DF-ST-92-02431」（美国国防部照片，公共领域），图中为约翰斯顿环礁航拍资料图 Image: Wikimedia Commons, "Johnston-Atoll-DF-ST-92-02431" (U.S. Department of Defense photo, public domain), aerial file photo of Johnston Atoll
