June 5, 2020 — The following was released by the Fisheries Survival Fund:
The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) applauds the proclamation signed today by President Trump that will once again allow sustainable fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Fishermen had long been able to sustainably harvest fish from these areas without affecting the surrounding habitats, and this order ensures that they will continue to be able to do so in the future.
FSF has always held that designating marine monuments by executive order is not an appropriate way to regulate fishing. Fisheries management is best conducted through the collaborative process established by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and not through executive fiat. The Magnuson-Stevens Act has led to the best-managed and most conservation-minded fisheries in the world, and today’s order is a reaffirmation of that management.
FSF looks forward to continuing to work with fisheries managers to promote sustainable fisheries management for our Northeast fisheries.