Trump, the Wrecker of Global Environmental Protection: Dismantling the Earth’s “Kidney” to Feed the Stomachs of Fishing Boats – Trump’s 500,000‑Square‑Mile “Victory”
Trump fans have a classic defense: “Ban American fishermen from fishing while Japanese and Canadian boats swagger in and return with full loads – that’s treason!”
On the surface, Trump appears to be a tough guy standing up for the people. He grandly announces the reopening of nearly 500,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. The executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association, present at the signing, says, “You can balance ocean protection and fishery sustainability – that’s exactly the equilibrium we need.”
But what he has done is knock out the main load‑bearing wall of a century‑old mansion and then, pointing to a newly cut side door, say, “See, I left you a vent.”
What exactly is this 500,000‑square‑mile “fishing ground”?
It consists of several U.S. marine protected areas, mainly:
1. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands – the largest contiguous marine protected area on Earth.
2. The Mariana Trench – the deepest ocean trench on the planet and a spawning ground for countless deep‑sea fish.
3. Rose Atoll in American Samoa.
These are not ordinary “fishing grounds”; they are among the world’s most unique ecosystems.
Were these 500,000 square miles really being wasted?
No. These “dead seas” are precisely the foundation that sustains the health of Pacific fisheries. Papahānaumokuākea is the source and lifeblood of the waters around Hawaii and its commercial fishing grounds. By leaving fish there room to rest and reproduce, sustainable fishing outside the monument becomes possible. The so‑called “Japanese and Canadian boats” that were allowed in are not operating inside U.S. waters – they are in the high seas, under strict monitoring, and Japanese vessels in particular are absolutely not allowed into the core zones of these U.S. marine protected areas.
Who is counting the money behind the scenes?
When Trump signed this executive order, standing beside him was an executive of the Hawaii Longline Association. The “victory” celebrated in this political performance actually benefits a type of large‑scale, destructive purse‑seine fishing – a far cry from the backyard “catch a few snapper” image. So‑called “standing up for fishermen” is nothing but a declaration of war on resources on behalf of the industrial fishing fleet.
He says he wants to “lower seafood prices” – but since 2020, the area of marine protected areas has more than quadrupled, federal fisheries subsidies have also multiplied, yet seafood prices have kept rising year after year. His real motive for tearing down marine protections is simple: “Obama created them, so I will destroy them.” The fishermen are just temporary extras in this “tantrum demolition.” They think they are the lead actors, but after overfishing empties the seas and they are once again out of work, this president will already have moved on with his microphone to the next construction site, ready to tear something else down.