Help Protect Our Pacific Marine National Monuments from Commercial Fishing
The regional agency promoting commercial fishing based in Hawaii has asked President Trump and his Administration to allow commercial fishing in several important Marine National Monuments. These include the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. These Monuments were established to safeguard the abundant and diverse coral, fish, marine mammal, and seabird populations that inhabit these areas. The Trump Administration is poised to place them under great threat if it follows through on the proposal.
The Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council (WESPAC) is one of several quasi-government organizations intended to oversee and regulate commercial fishing in US waters in the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, but some of these Councils put commerce above conservation. According to National Geographic, Hawaiian Congressman Ed Case stated: “Some of the fishery councils do a very, very good job to manage fishing on a sustainable basis. WESPAC is far more slanted on the extraction side of the equation, and I have long been concerned. The desire to open up marine monuments and manage fisheries on borderline sustainability is not the solution.”
One of the purposes of the Monuments is to provide a haven for healthy fish populations from the ravages of longlines, entangling nets, and fishing for depleted species like sharks. These refuges allow fish populations to replenish, which can help provide fish for the future of commercial fishing outside the monument.
Researchers question claims by WESPAC that commercial fishing has declined in the Hawaiian area since the establishment of the Marine National Monuments. Nonetheless, several National Monuments on land and at sea have been targeted by the Trump Administration for shrinkage in order to promote resource development at the expense of conservation. The Administration reduced the area of two Utah national monuments, the Bears Ears National Monument by about 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by about 50%, and is now preparing to open the areas to oil drilling and mineral extraction. Native tribes and environmentalists are suing to restore the monuments.
The International Marine Mammal Project and Shark Stewards of Earth Island Institute plan to sue the federal government, should the Trump Administration attempt to illegally reinstate commercial fishing in the Marine National Monuments or shrink the boundaries of the monuments. Established by President George W. Bush and expanded by President Barack Obama, these Marine National Monuments are part of our American heritage that needs to be preserved intact for future generations.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please write to President Donald Trump and your elected Representative and two Senators in Washington DC.
Urge them to:
(1) Prohibit any commercial fishing in the Pacific Ocean Marine National Monuments.
(2) Not shrink the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean Marine National Monuments.
(3) Maintain and protect these Marine National Monuments for: ecosystem integrity, fish stock regeneration, scientific research, and future generations.
President Donald Trump
Fill in the Email Form here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
To make a comment: 202-456-1111
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
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For a list of Senators with links to their individual websites, go here. https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
For a list of Members of the House of Representatives with links to their individual websites, go here: https://www.house.gov/representatives
Under the heading “Contact”, most Senators and Representatives will either post an email address or have an online form you can fill out to contact them.
You can call the Congressional Switchboard (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to the office of your Senators and Representative.
For those of you who would like to write a letter, you can address it to:
Senator __________________
US Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Representative __________
US House of Representatives Building
Washington, DC 20515