Honolulu, Hawaii - A federal judge in Hawaii overturned an order from President Donald Trump that allowed commercial fishing in a federally protected area of the central Pacific Ocean.

Hawaiian Judge Micah WJ Smith ruled on Friday that commercial shipping must cease in the federally protected waters of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.

The move effectively blocks a Presidential Proclamation put forward by Trump in April, which declared that "commercial fishing is no longer prohibited in certain areas" of the monument.

Trump's order opened areas up to fishing between 50 and 200 nautical miles from Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, and Wake Island. Smith's ruling demands an immediate halt to such activities.

Space Travel Crew-10 astronauts touch down on Earth after months in space

The national monument, which is also a world heritage site, is home to many unique species of marine mammals, fish, seabirds, and coral reefs. Former President Barack Obama declared it a protected area in a 2009 proclamation that was expanded on in 2014.

Smith's ruling comes after environmental conservation group Earthjustice sued the Trump administration in May, arguing that the proclamation was unlawful as it bypassed the legal process through which fishing rules can be changed.

According to the suit, Trump's proclamation is unlawful for "exceeding the president’s constitutional authority and infringing upon the powers reserved to Congress."

The stripping of protections from these areas would also run the risk of causing enormous harm to local ecosystems because it would result in the killing of countless animals, including native fish, sharks, and turtles.

"This would completely disrupt the underwater ecosystem and wreak havoc on the food chain," said Jonee Peters of the Conservation Council for Hawaii, in comments cited by Earthjustice.

"Many of these creatures and areas are culturally important to the people of Oceania, for traditional and modern navigation, and as a valuable food source."