Research has repeatedly shown spillover benefits from large marine protected areas including increases in catch rates outside of the areas. Opening up the monument for commercial fishing will have what Hemphill describes as the “opposite effect” of what Trump’s administration hopes for.
“The current administration has its mentality of ‘let’s become the greatest seafood producer.’ But if you take everything, then you over-exploit and the populations collapse. Then what you’ll see in the long term is actually a reduction of catch,” he said.
Similarly, Kaho’ohalahala said: “Opening this sacred place for exploitation is short-sighted and does not consider current or future generations of Pacific People who rely on a healthy ocean, and know this special ocean space as our ancestral home.”
With mounting concerns surrounding the Trump administration’s environmental impact, marine experts are urging the public to consider the ecological and cultural significance of marine regulated areas that are akin to national parks.
“It’s a special piece of America… It’s as if we had just allowed commercial hunting into a place like Yellowstone,” McCauley said.
