Trump ends Obama-era restrictions on commercial fishing in protected area off New England
Source: PBS News/AP
Feb 6, 2026 6:08 PM EST
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — 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.
Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/trump-ends-obama-era-restrictions-on-commercial-fishing-in-protected-area-off-new-england
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