Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Marine national monument in central Pacific Ocean, United States

The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, formerly the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, is a group of seven U.S. island and atoll territories managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA. It takes in Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Kingman Reef, Palmyra and Wake, spread across the south-central Pacific far southwest of Honolulu. Its reefs and waters hold endemic corals, fish, seabirds and plants, and rare sea turtles, whales and Hawaiian monk seals visit Johnston Atoll.

President George W. Bush proclaimed the monument on January 6, 2009, after creating Papahānaumokuākea in 2006; the original area was about 83,000 square miles. Barack Obama expanded it on September 25, 2014, to 490,343 square miles, reaching the 200-nautical-mile limits of the U.S. EEZ around Wake, Johnston and Jarvis. Biden renamed it Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument on January 2, 2025, and on April 17, 2025, Donald Trump restored commercial fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.

The monument was renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument on January 2, 2025, after a consultation with Pacific Island communities and a report published in March 2024. The new name recognizes the traditional voyages and cultural connections that link the islands to the wider Pacific.

Access is strictly controlled and requires special permits, with only scientific activities and certain other purposes allowed. Commercial fishing, mining, and drilling are completely prohibited to protect marine habitats.

The monument's name changed on January 2, 2025, when President Biden renamed it Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, following a report published in March 2024 and consultation with Pacific Island communities. The new name recognizes the traditional voyages and cultural connections linking the islands. The older name, Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, dated from its proclamation by George W. Bush on January 6, 2009.