HONOLULU (19 March 2026) The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended reopening part of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing, a move aimed at restoring access to U.S. waters for American fishermen who face competition from much larger foreign fleets while operating under some of the world’s toughest conservation rules.

Monument fishing prohibitions and other closures have blocked U.S. fleets from nearly half of the U.S. exclusive economic zone around the Pacific Islands, pushing them farther offshore into international waters. The gap in fleet size is significant. The Hawaiʻi fleet has 154 longliners, compared with 488 for Chinese Taipei, 434 for China and 303 for Japan.

The SSC agreed on reopening waters from 50 to 200 nautical miles around Wake and Jarvis Islands and Johnston Atoll, repealing commercial fishing prohibitions and allowing fishing under existing regulations.

Members noted that the effectiveness of large ocean closures has been debated for years, and reopening the area could provide information to evaluate those closures. The SSC recommended that the Council request the National Marine Fisheries Service develop a research plan for prioritized electronic monitoring (EM) review and observer coverage of trips inside the monument expansion area. EM implementation will be incremental. By the beginning of 2027, the agency estimates that 50 to 100 of the 150 active vessels with Hawaiʻi limited-entry permits will be phased into the program.

Pelagic fisheries in the region operate under a robust management framework and overfishing is not occurring on longline or purse seine target stocks. Those fisheries are managed under U.S. laws and international conservation measures that are widely regarded as the gold standard for sustainable fishing.

The SSC’s recommendation comes ahead of Council final action next week and follows management alternatives developed in response to Presidential Proclamation 10918, issued in April 2025. The proclamation directs the Secretary of Commerce to amend or repeal regulations that restrict commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (formerly the Pacific Remote Islands MNM) expansion area.

The SSC provides advice to the Council, which will meet March 24-26, 2026, at the Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom in Honolulu.

How to Join
📍 In-Person: Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom (410 Atkinson St., Honolulu, HI)
💻 Online: Via Webex: https://tinyurl.com/206CouncilMtg, Event password: CM206mtg
📜 Get the Full Agenda & Documents: www.wpcouncil.org/event/206th-council-meeting

Scientific and Statistical Committee: James Lynch (chair); Debra Cabrera (University of Guam); Frank Camacho (University of Guam); Courtney Carothers (University of Alaska Fairbanks); Milani Chaloupka (University of Queensland); Cathy Dichmont (Cathy Dichmont Consulting); Erik Franklin (University of Hawai‘i); Shelton Harley (Fisheries Consultant); Jason Helyer (Hawai‘i Div. of Aquatic Resources); Ray Hilborn (University of Washington); Alister Hunt (Finology); Dave Itano (Fisheries Consultant);  Keena Leon Guerrero (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Div. of Fish & Wildlife); Domingo Ochavillo (American Samoa Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources); Graham Pilling (The Pacific Community); Jim Roberts (Anemone Consulting); Justin Suca (University of Hawai‘i); Robin Waples (University of Washington); Charles Littnan (ex-officio) (National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center).

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council: Secretary of Commerce appointees from nominees selected by American Samoa, the CNMI, Guam and Hawai‘i governors: Roger Dang, Fresh Island Fish Co. (Hawai‘i) (vice chair); Edgar Feliciano, Feli Fisheries Inc. (American Samoa); Pete Itibus, noncommercial fisher (CNMI); Frank Perez, AC Sales and Service, (Guam); Matt Ramsey, Conservation International (Hawai‘i); Jesse Rosario, Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Association (Guam); Will Sword, American Samoa Power Authority (American Samoa) (vice chair); and Gene Weaver, Tasi to Table (CNMI). Designated state officials: Ryan Kanaka‘ole, Hawai‘i Dept. of Land & Natural Resources; Sylvan Igisomar, CNMI Dept. of Lands & Natural Resources (vice chair); Nathan Ilaoa, American Samoa Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources (chair); and Chelsa Muña, Guam Dept. of Agriculture (vice chair). Designated federal officials (voting): Sarah Malloy, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office. Designated federal officials (nonvoting): Jeremy Raynal, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; RADM Sean Regan, U.S. Coast Guard Oceania District; Rachel Ryan, U.S. State Dept.; and Barry Thom, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.