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H.R. 8904119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Jun 3, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
Official title: To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to provide for the regulation of fishing in marine national monuments.
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govThe plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 8904 would end presidential authority to restrict fishing in marine monuments, shifting all regulation to federal fishery councils.
45-second read · 4 questions answered below
HR 8904 removes the president's ability to restrict or ban fishing inside marine national monuments using the Antiquities Act. Instead, all fishing in these protected ocean areas would be governed exclusively by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Existing presidential proclamations limiting fishing inside monuments would no longer apply to fishing activities.
Commercial and recreational fishermen near marine monuments, especially those around Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Pacific Islands, are the most directly affected. Environmental and conservation groups that have supported fishing bans inside monuments, and federal agencies whose authority over these areas would shift, are also affected.
Regulatory authority over fishing in marine monuments would move from the executive branch to regional fishery management councils and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Future presidents would be unable to use monument designations as a mechanism to restrict fishing in federal waters.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Subcommittee Hearings Held