Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)
Flag Day Proclamation Supports American Samoa and U.S. Food Security
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is hailing President Trump’s Proclamation restoring fishing waters, which will expand options for the U.S. tuna fleet out of Pago Pago Harbor. President Trump made the Proclamation on April 17th, coinciding with American Samoa’s 125th Flag Day, which celebrates the first official raising of the U.S. flag in American Samoa in the year 1900.
Amata, who requested action on this important issue, was delighted to be at the White House for the President’s Proclamation, and thank President Trump personally for restoring fishing for Pacific Island communities in the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) between 50-200 miles offshore.
“Thank you, President Trump! This sensible Proclamation is important to the stability and future of American Samoa’s economy, but it also is fantastic news for U.S. food security,” said Congresswoman Amata. “The vast Pacific Islands area cannot fall under the domination of an increasingly aggressive CCP. Instead, President Trump’s key action strengthens our American fishing fleet and helps combat malign activities by the CCP with increased U.S. fishing presence along with Coast Guard operations.”
The President’s Proclamation boosts American commercial fishing presence and economic activity in the Pacific islands region; helps reassert U.S. commitment and energetic presence in the Pacific; helps reduce I.U.U. fishing; combats malign activities by the CCP in the region based on U.S. commercial and Coast Guard presence; and enhances the nation’s food security by securing our supply chain of healthy tuna, serving our Buy America school lunch and military K-rations, and reducing unnecessary reliance on imported fish.
“Our U.S. fleet of law-abiding, thoroughly regulated fishermen is preferable to dependence on other nations supply, and highly preferable to the Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing practices that are a problem in our shared ocean. The American fleet is part of the solution, not the problem. I appreciate this strong, patriotic, common sense, and economically wise decision by President Trump,” concluded Rep. Amata.
Special thanks to Governor Pula’ali’i Nikolao Pula, Lt. Governor Pulu Ae Ae, Archie Taotasi Soliai, Will Sword, Kitty Simonds, Ricardo da Rosa, Erik Kekoa Kingma, John Myking, and Sean Martin.
Background
In 2014, President Obama increased the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) from the original 80,000 square miles under President Bush to an unbelievable 490,000 square miles; and extended the fishing ban from 50-200 miles.
For perspective, the original PRIMNM area created was the size of Minnesota (80,000 sq. miles); and President Obama increased it six-fold adding the equivalent of California (260,000 sq. miles) and Texas (150,000 sq. miles) and eliminating fishing in the process. This PRIMNM area and fishing ban is five times the size of all the Great Lakes combined! In fact, it is roughly 20 percent the size of the lower 48 states and the smallest 20 states would fit in the PRIMNM area with its fishing ban in open ocean waters.
There was never any science justifying this fishing ban. Restoration of fishing from 50-200 miles will not negate any protections for existing inland waterway, beach, coral, or any other near-shore fishing species, flora or fauna.
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