Dive Brief:
- President Obama is set to declare a large swath of the Pacific Ocean off-limits to commercial fishing.
- The announcement, expected today, will expand the 87,000 square miles of protected ocean known as the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument to some 490,000 square miles, creating the world's largest maritime reserve.
- The move comes despite protests by commercial tuna fishermen from American Samoa and the Hawaiian Islands, who fear the expansion of the protected zone will hurt the industry.
Dive Insight:
It's easy for those who aren't commercial fishermen to dismiss the concerns of the tuna fleets. After all, fish caught in the soon-to-be-forbidden zone account for only 4% of the annual U.S. tuna catch in the western and central Pacific. It shouldn't be impossible to cover 4% by fishing elsewhere.
The problem, however, is that the fishermen's revenue is low and margins are already as tight as they can be. The creation of the marine sanctuary could prove to be a major problem for parts of the industry. The Hawaiian longline fleet, for example, sets about 16% of their hooks in the area.