in effect
Proclamation 11035, signed June 11, 2026, is a presidential order modifying four earlier Marine National Monument proclamations (from 2006, 2009, and 2016) that had banned commercial fishing in certain Pacific protected areas. It declares those fishing bans no longer necessary because existing federal laws already provide sufficient conservation protections, and it formally lifts the monument-specific prohibitions in designated zones.
Commercial fishing is now permitted in three previously closed areas: the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument; the Mau Zone, Ho’omalu Zone, and waters beyond 50 nautical miles inside the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument; and the band of water between 12 and 50 nautical miles around Rose Atoll. Existing no-fishing buffers within 50 nautical miles of certain Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and within 12 nautical miles of Rose Atoll remain in place and are not changed by this order. Only U.S.-flagged vessels may fish commercially in these reopened areas, though foreign-flagged vessels may be permitted to transport fish caught by U.S. fishermen. The Secretary of Commerce is directed to rewrite or repeal existing regulations that conflict with this order and to immediately assess whether current enforcement discretion can be used to implement the policy before new rules take effect.
U.S. commercial fishing operations and fishing communities in the Pacific — particularly those targeting fisheries managed by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council — gain access to hundreds of thousands of square miles of previously closed federal waters. Federal agencies, primarily the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce, must update monument and sanctuary regulations to align with the new rules. Foreign fishing vessel operators are excluded from direct commercial fishing in these zones but may apply for permits to serve as transport vessels.