Donald Trump has returned mass commercial fishing in the Pacific; rolling back protections for oceans that are considered pristine ecosystems.

The White House says the move was aimed at boosting the US fishing industry amid restoring access to portions of three American marine national monuments across the Pacific Ocean.

The move, dismantling part of the legacy of his predecessor Joe Biden, who created marine sanctuaries, will affect Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in proximity of Hawaiʻi, the islands unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, close to both Guam and Northern Marina Islands, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument in American Samoa waters.

Mr Trump signed a proclamation entitled Restoring American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific last Thursday, restoring federally managed commercial fishing troves to more than 800,000 square kilometres across the expanses of the Pacific.

A White House summary of the Presidential executive order stated prohibiting commercial fishing within the monuments is "not necessary" for their proper care and management because many fish species are highly migratory, not unique to the area, and they are already protected through other US federal laws.

"Prohibiting commercial fishing in this area also artificially restricts domestic fish supply, which makes the United States reliant on foreign sources for our food supply, and increases the cost of seafood for everyday Americans," the summary claims.

But ocean conservationists have since slammed Mr Trump's efforts as a threat to the ecosystem.

"These marine monuments are the ocean's equivalent of our national parks ‒ places that benefit marine life and cultural heritage and are too important to risk for short-term gain," National Ocean Protection Coalition executive director, Miriam Goldstein, told US media.

Scientists recognise three of the US's five marine national monuments as "some of the most effective tools for improving ocean ecosystems and threatened fish stocks", said a statement from the US's National Parks Conservation Association, a non-profit environmental advocate in favour of marine conservation.

In the Northern Mariana Islands, a conservation group also condemned Mr Trump's proclamation.

The Friends of the Mariana Trench said in its statement that the US's action promises to threaten Indigenous Pacific communities, cultural heritage and local stewardship of the ocean.

There was a mixed reaction among Indigenous representatives from within the affected self-governing US Pacific territories.

Angelo Villagomez has rallied Pacific Islanders to advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous-led management practices in US federal deep-sea mining regulations to protect the Pacific Ocean.

The senior fellow for conservation policy at the Centre for American Progress said that as a native of the Mariana Islands, the executive order "feels like a direct attack on (our) cultural heritage and the fragile ecosystems of a treasured resource".

"The waters have been previously reserved for the Chamorro and Refaluwasch, the Indigenous people of the islands," he said.

"These rollbacks are another move by the Trump administration to sell out America's natural resources for industry profit."

Mr Trump previously signed a similar proclamation in April 2025, restoring commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Remote Islands Marine National Monument, which represents about 650,000 kilometres of ocean in the region.

An American Samoan congresswoman stated the protected waters surrounding her community's ancestral archipelago should be off limits for fishing but backs the US to explore the rest of its Pacific territories in a classic not in our backyard approach to the situation.

Republican Uifa'atali Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, an ally of Mr Trump, softly opposed the thought of fishing around Rose Atoll.

"With our heads, we can welcome good news for our economy, while our hearts treasure Rose Atoll and stand with our people in Manu'a," she said.

But Ms Radewagen also said the executive order was "incredible, positive news for our fishing and economy overall".

"I want to be clear that elsewhere throughout US waters, I support the change and thank the President - but Rose Atoll has special significance," she added.

Rose Atoll is one of the most pristine coral atolls in the Pacific, containing ecosystems not found anywhere else in the archipelago, with its distinctive pink reef created by coralline algae rather than the coral-dominated reefs.

It also supports around 97 percent of American Samoa's seabird population and is an important nesting area for revered green and hawksbill sea turtles while also serving as a refuge for many other rare marine species.

Fishing remains prohibited within 50 nautical miles of land in the eastern part of the Samoan archipelago - and within 12 nautical miles of the American Samoan coastline, with catch limits applying.

A previous similar order of Mr Trump's was challenged successfully in the Honolulu courts, which found it unlawful in its attempt to supersede legislation that had passed through the US Congress.

Earthjustice, the organisation behind that case, stated they intend to take legal action against the latest executive order around Hawaiʻi.