June 8, 2020 — On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will remove fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, drawing praise from fishermens’ groups and criticism from environmentalists.
The reserve was designated by President Barack Obama in late 2016, and it is the first marine national monument in the Atlantic. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the monument contains “fragile and largely pristine deep marine ecosystems and rich biodiversity, including . . . many rare and endemic species, several of which are new to science and are not known to live anywhere else on Earth.”
Recreational fishing was allowed in the reserve, and crab and lobster fishing were permitted until September 2023. Other commercial fishing – or even possessing commercial fishing gear on deck – was not permitted within the 5,000-square-mile region. The Trump administration’s decision has removed all fishing restrictions.
“What reason did [Obama] have for closing 5,000 miles? That’s a lot of miles. Five thousand square miles is a lot. He didn’t have a reason, in my opinion,” said Trump at a forum in Bangor on Friday. “For me, I can’t even believe they can do a thing like that. That’s a terrible thing. That’s a terrible thing.”