In another move to bypass regulations protecting our ocean, the commercial tuna fishing organization in Hawaii (WSPFMC) has proposed opening the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. One of the most pristine coral atolls in the world, this protected area is approximately 130 nautical miles east-southeast of Pago Pago Harbor in American Samoa. Rose Atoll is the easternmost Samoan island and the southernmost point of the United States. 

The marine environment around Rose Atoll supports a dynamic reef ecosystem that is home to a diverse assemblage of marine species, many of which are threatened or endangered. 

Species that have faced depletion elsewhere, some of which have declined worldwide by as much as 98 percent, are found in abundance at Rose Atoll. 

The marine protected area provides isolated, undisturbed nesting grounds for green and hawksbill sea turtles and contains the largest number of nesting turtles in American Samoa. The waters within and surrounding the Rose Atoll Monument are frequented by numerous large predators, such as snappers, jacks, groupers, barracudas, and whitetip, blacktip, and gray reef sharks.

272 species of reef fish have been described within the Monument area, seven of which scientists described for the first time while at Rose Atoll. 

Short term commercial fishing benefits will result in long term loss of reef health and increase the risk of endangered species including critically endangered oceanic whitetip sharks.

With few relatively undisturbed islands remaining in the world, Rose Atoll is one of the last refuges for seabird and turtle species of the Central Pacific.

Please share this petition and follow our updates targeting WESPAC fishing interests in the Pacific. Note: Donations through Change.org amplify the message here but do not go SharkStewards.org. Thank you for signing, sharing, and supporting our work.