May 9, 2025 — President Donald Trump on Friday will sign a proclamation restoring commercial fishing access to a marine national monument off New England, according to a White House official.
The move is aligned with the Trump administration’s efforts to cut regulations it believes are burdensome to businesses and economic activity.
The proclamation will reopen the nearly 5,000-square-mile (13,000-square-kilometer) Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which was designated by former President Barack Obama in 2016 to protect species including deep-sea corals, sea turtles and whales.
Trump opened the monument to fishing during his first term in 2020, but that was reversed by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
The decision supports fishing communities, economic activity and jobs, the White House official said.