Washington, D.C. (May 9, 2025) In response to the White House Press Secretary’s announcement that President Trump will be issuing an Executive Order to deregulate New England’s fishing industry, including opening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Marine Monument up to commercial fishing, John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA’s Oceans Campaigns Director said: “Trump is going to ‘unleash’ America’s fishing industry straight into collapse. This administration’s approach to fishing is to pander to the most reckless and short-sighted lobbyists, at the expense of a whole industry that will suffer. And so will our oceans.”
“Opening this monument to commercial fishing will not boost the fishing economy in the way the Trump administration claims. There is no evidence that commercial fishing was harmed in the creation of this Monument. But opening deep-water coral habitats to industrial fishing gear will cause irreparable harm. It took a lot of time and effort to start rebuilding Atlantic fish stocks, and deregulation will quickly reverse that progress. When fish populations collapse, so do fishing jobs and fishing communities.”
The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is the first and only National Marine Monument established in the U.S. Atlantic. It protects unique and vulnerable deepwater habitats and abundant wildlife, including right whales, Risso’s dolphins, and leatherback sea turtles. It is estimated to be home to over 1,000 species, including at least 58 deep-sea coral species.
Scientists recommend protecting at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 to help marine life recover and thrive. This goal, known as “30×30,” aims to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) and other conservation measures to safeguard marine biodiversity and support coastal communities. With this announcement and the recent Executive Order opening vast swaths of protected ocean to commercial exploitation, including areas within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, the Administration is moving in the opposite direction of what science demands.
Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
