PUBLISHED NOV 12, 2021 2:29 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The government of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati is reportedly in discussions to open up one of the world’s largest marine reserves to commercial fishing.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), spanning more than 115,000 square nautical miles adjacent to U.S. waters, could be de-registered as a World Heritage Site and made accessible to commercial fishing if the government’s plan sails through.

According to an article by 1News, a New Zealand news outlet, the Kiribati Cabinet has already made the decision to open up the marine reserve and notified international partners two weeks ago. The cabinet says that the reason behind the radical move is to take advantage of over $200 million that could be generated per year from tuna fishing licenses in the marine reserve.

In 2008, Kiribati captured the global spotlight when it protected the planet’s last intact coral archipelago, which was threatened by over-fishing and climate change. The PIP marine reserve is almost the size of California, and it is home to more than 250 coral species and 520 species of fish – some of which are new to science. For environmentalists, the decision to open up the reserve will be a monumental setback in recent progress to regulate destructive human activities in fragile ecosystems.

 

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