Trump’s decision to reopen a large swath of protected sea off New England to commercial fishing landed Friday with a new proclamation, setting the stage for another round of legal and political conflict over how far conservation rules should reach in the Atlantic.
The proclamation addresses commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a nearly 5,000-square-mile preserve east of Cape Cod that was created by President Barack Obama, according to the Associated Press report. The monument’s boundaries include habitats that environmental advocates say are critical to undersea corals and other ecosystems, while fishing groups and industry representatives have argued the restrictions are too burdensome.
Trump previously reduced protections for the area during his first term, rolling back protections in 2020, the report said. President Joe Biden later restored those protections, reversing Trump’s earlier action before Friday’s proclamation.
In the proclamation, Trump wrote that he believed “appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put the objects of historic and scientific interest that the monument protects at risk,” as described by the Associated Press. The decision was presented by the White House as part of a broader effort to reduce what Trump has characterized as regulatory burdens on fishermen.
The proclamation also follows Trump’s broader pattern of linking support for fishing access to Maine’s fishing industry, even as the monument itself is located southeast of Cape Cod, according to the Associated Press account. The president has cast the monument as an unfair penalty on commercial fishermen, arguing for expanded access in the protected area.
Commercial fishing groups welcomed the Friday action. John Williams, president and owner of the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Atlantic Red Crab Company, said, “We deserve to be rewarded, not penalized,” and that “We’re demonstrating that we can fish sustainably and continue to harvest on a sustainable level in perpetuity.”
Environmental groups criticized the proclamation and said they plan to challenge it. Oceana’s Gib Brogan said the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument was created “to provide strong protections for the wide range of marine life that live in these unique habitats.”
The conflict over marine protections is not limited to the Atlantic, the report noted. Environmentalists also pointed to a Trump move last year that they say removed protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument off Hawaii, and AP reported that a judge blocked commercial fishing there in August.