1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I’m writing today to urge you to block and reverse the Trump administration's proclamation opening Papahānaumokuākea, Rose Atoll, and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. Nearly half a million square miles of some of the world's most irreplaceable ocean ecosystems are now at risk — and the economic justifications don't hold up against what we stand to permanently lose. These monuments were established by Presidents Bush and Obama precisely because federal fisheries law alone isn't enough to protect them. The Magnuson–Stevens Act manages fish stocks — it doesn't protect coral ecosystems, wildlife habitats, or the scientific and cultural heritage these monuments were designated to preserve. As Oceana's Ben Enticknap put it, this is a gamble with irreplaceable ecosystems for short-term gain. Once these habitats are damaged, no proclamation brings them back. Push back on this decision. Support legislative or legal action to restore monument protections to their full extent. The fishing industry has access to vast stretches of U.S. waters — it doesn't need to operate inside monuments that took decades of conservation work to establish. Thank you.