President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on Friday reopening a huge swath of protected sea in the Atlantic Ocean to commercial fishing.
Trump said the move would reestablish fishing in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the New England coast, a nearly 5,000-square-mile preserve east of Cape Cod that was created by former President Barack Obama. Trump rolled back protections in the area in 2020 and President Joe Biden later restored them.
Trump’s proclamation is his latest move to try to strengthen U.S. fishing while rolling back existing conservation measures. He signed a broader order earlier this year that calls on the federal government to reduce the regulatory burden on fishermen in the coming weeks.
Trump has long been critical of the marine monument, which Obama described at the time as a chance to protect vulnerable undersea corals and ecosystems. Trump has described it as an unfair penalty on commercial fishermen.
The president wrote in Friday’s proclamation that he believed “appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put the objects of historic and scientific interest that the monument protects at risk.”
Trump signaled that he would restore fishing in the area in May. The White House said at the time the move would “support the vital Maine lobster industry by ensuring unfettered access to the coastal waters of the United States.”
Trump has frequently linked his support of fishing rights in the monument to Maine fishermen, though the protected area is located southeast of Cape Cod.
Commercial fishing groups have long sought the reopening of the protected area and voiced support on Friday.
“We deserve to be rewarded, not penalized,” said John Williams, president and owner of the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Atlantic Red Crab Company. “We’re demonstrating that we can fish sustainably and continue to harvest on a sustainable level in perpetuity.”
Environmental groups have been highly critical of the move to reopen the monument to fishing. Some have vowed to fight it in court.
“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,” said Gib Brogan, fisheries campaign director at environmental group Oceana.
Environmentalists also challenged a Trump move last year that they say removes important protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument off Hawaii. That is a much larger marine monument created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and later expanded by Obama. A judge blocked commercial fishing in the area in August.
This story was originally published by the Associated Press.
