Trump Opens Pacific Marine Monuments to Commercial Fishing

President Trump signed an executive order that opens up commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage National Marine Monument, covering about 490,000 square miles of ocean southwest of Hawaii. The removal of protected status under Executive Order has been proved in court under the last Trump Administration to violate the Antiquities Act. New litigation from environmental groups is pending in response to the Executive Order.

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Shark Retention Bans Can Save Sharks

A study published in the journal Fish and Fisheries this month revealed that fisheries could reduce shark death by requiring the release of threatened sharks caught as bycatch by at least three times. Known as retention bans, the practice requires that fishermen release certain sharks that are endangered or unwanted rather than retain them for their fins or some other use.

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