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President Donald Trump said he issued a presidential proclamation reopening thousands of square miles of protected Atlantic Ocean waters off New England to commercial fishing, saying the move would reestablish fishing access and reduce what he called burdensome restrictions on fishermen.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social late Friday, writing that the move was “another BIG WIN for Maine, and all of New England.”
The proclamation would reestablish fishing in the 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 during his first term, and President Joe Biden later restored them.
“Today, I signed a Presidential Proclamation to UNLEASH Commercial Fishing in the Atlantic Ocean, advancing the America First Fishing Policy!” Trump wrote. “I am restoring nearly 5,000 square miles of fishing access off the Coast of New England, which will revitalize our fishing industry and strengthen our booming economy.”
Commercial fishing boats are moored in the port of Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. (Paolo Picciotto/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Trump has long been critical of the marine monument, which Obama described at the time as a way to protect vulnerable undersea corals and ecosystems. Trump has described the restrictions as an unfair penalty on commercial fishermen.
Trump said Democrats had imposed excessive and unnecessary regulations on fishermen for years.
“In my first term, I reversed the prohibitions placed on commercial fishing, but Joe Biden, or whoever was using the AUTOPEN, foolishly reinstated them,” Trump wrote. “Since Day One, I have taken historic action to end these disastrous policies.”
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President Donald Trump reopened nearly 5,000 square miles of Atlantic Ocean waters off New England to commercial fishing with a proclamation Friday. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Earlier this year, Trump also signed a broader order directing federal agencies to reduce the regulatory burden on fishermen, according to the White House.
Commercial fishing groups welcomed the move, saying it would expand access while allowing the industry to operate sustainably.
“We deserve to be rewarded, not penalized,” John Williams, president and owner of the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Atlantic Red Crab Company, told The Associated Press. “We’re demonstrating that we can fish sustainably and continue to harvest on a sustainable level in perpetuity.”
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Fishermen unload a fresh catch aboard a commercial fishing vessel at the port of New Bedford, Mass., July 22, 2024. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Environmental groups criticized the proclamation and warned that reopening the area could threaten sensitive marine ecosystems.
“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,” Gib Brogan, fisheries campaign director at environmental group Oceana, told the outlet.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.