Trump Administration Rolls Back Protections For Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument Off Nantucket

President Donald Trump’s administration rolled back protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument located southeast of Nantucket last Friday, restoring commercial fishing in the monument's waters. The move immediately drew sharp criticism from conservation groups and praise from commercial fishing interests.

The monument, a large swath of the ocean around 100 miles from Nantucket, is the only national monument in the Atlantic. A unique ecosystem home to a number of endangered species, including sperm, blue, and fin whales, the monument was previously protected from commercial fishing by Obama-era restrictions.

The area has been a battleground for commercial fishing for years. Trump opened the monument up to commercial fishing during his first term, before former President Joe Biden reinstated protections. Now, they’ve been rolled back again.

Environmental groups fear that commercial fishing could endanger the fragile ecosystem and threaten the rare species that live within it.

“Scientific research by the New England Aquarium and others shows high biodiversity in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, and continued protections and monitoring are warranted to benefit the ecosystem and ocean industries in the region,” said Vikki N. Spruill, President and CEO of the New England Aquarium.

“This Monument supports amazing species from the seafloor to the sea surface, and we see evidence of that during every aerial survey,” added Dr. Jessica Redfern, Associate Vice President of Ocean Conservation Science in the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. “Removing protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument puts these species at risk.”

The Trump administration contends that “appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put the objects of historic and scientific interest that the monument protects at risk,” and that other existing laws provide sufficient protection for the endangered and threatened species in the area. In a proclamation issued on February 6, Trump wrote that “a prohibition on commercial fishing is not, at this time, necessary for the proper care and management of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument or the objects of historic or scientific interest therein.”

Trump has the backing of several commercial fishing interest groups.

“The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) applauds the President for once again taking decisive action to restore access for American commercial fishermen in the Atlantic,” NEFSA wrote in a press release. “This marks the second time this administration has moved to correct misguided ocean monument designations that locked fishermen out of historic fishing grounds without sound science or meaningful conservation benefit. For too long, these offshore monuments have functioned as political trophies for large environmental NGOs — symbolic wins that harm working waterfronts while doing little to improve ocean health.”

Last year, Trump removed similar protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, established by former President George W. Bush. A judge later blocked commercial fishing in the area, saying Trump had acted improperly. Similar legal challenges could emerge in an effort to block Trump’s latest move.