President Donald Trump has moved to reopen the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing, reversing protections reinstated under Joe Biden. The administration argues existing fisheries laws are sufficient to protect sensitive habitats while supporting economic growth. Environmental groups strongly disagree, warning the move risks long-term ecological damage. The decision revives a long-running political battle between conservation and industry access.
Trump reopened a 4,913-sq-mile Atlantic marine monument to commercial fishing, undoing Biden’s 2021 restrictions and restoring his 2020 policy, arguing it boosts New England jobs without harming protected ecosystems. #AmericaFirst #Trump #MAGA pic.twitter.com/pEciNEZP6Q
— Matthew Brady (@mattbrady775) February 7, 2026
- Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation on February 6, 2026 titled “Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Atlantic.”
- The proclamation revokes Joe Biden’s 2021 restoration of fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, reopening the area to commercial fishing.
- The monument covers roughly 4,913 square miles, about 130 miles east of Cape Cod, and was originally established in 2016 by Barack Obama under the Antiquities Act.
- Trump previously modified the monument in 2020 (Proclamation 10049) to allow fishing; Biden reversed that move in 2021 (Proclamation 10287).
- Trump argued that “appropriately managed commercial fishing” would not threaten protected resources and said existing federal fisheries laws provide adequate safeguards.
- Supporters cite economic relief for New England fishermen; critics warn of long-term ecological harm to sensitive deep-sea habitats.
