SAIPAN — The Friends of the Mariana Trench said the Trump administration’s decision to open the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument’s Islands Unit to American commercial fishermen is a significant setback, pledging in a statement to continue its advocacy for the monument.
“True conservation requires persistence. Since 2007, our advocacy for the Mariana Trench has been unyielding, and it will remain so,” the group’s board said in the statement. “We stand in solidarity with Pacific communities whose cultural heritage is currently being eroded by the Trump administration—from the access granted to commercial vessels in sacred areas, to the leasing of our seabed for deep-sea mining and the threats of nuclear waste.”
“These waters, set aside to honor the fishing traditions of the Chamorro and Refaluwach people, are now being sacrificed for industrial gain,” the statement said. “While this is a significant setback, our fight for healthy oceans and the communities that depend on them is far from over.”
The statement responds to the presidential proclamation signed Thursday at the White House, which removed monument-based prohibitions on commercial fishing in the Islands Unit, limited the waters to United States flagged vessels and kept federal fishery management and conservation laws in place. Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds attended the signing and said implementation should include local fishermen, the Commonwealth government, federal scientists, environmental stakeholders and the broader CNMI community.
The statement was signed in solidarity by board members Sheila Babuata, Franco Santos, Tina Sablan, Ignacio V. Cabrera, Angelo Villagomez, Romana Chong and Kina Rangamar.