Trump administration cuts regulations on US commercial fishing
The Trump administration is slashing commercial fishing regulations, including reopening New England waters to scallop fishing that had been banned since 1994 due to overfishing.
The administration of US President Donald Trump is rolling back commercial fishing regulations across the country, notably reopening New England waters to scallop fishing that was banned in 1994 due to overfishing.
White House adviser Peter Navarro said in a briefing on Thursday that the administration is opening the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, benefiting American consumers. The US Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced regional priorities aimed at revitalizing the seafood sector.
On Truth Social, Trump declared a National Scallops Day to celebrate NOAA's action, criticizing previous administrations and urging voters to support Republicans in the midterm elections. The implementation timeline remains unclear.
The moves follow an April 2025 executive order by Trump to increase domestic seafood production by loosening regulations and opening marine monuments to commercial fishing. The push to ease scallop restrictions came from an Oval Office meeting with fishermen who complained about being barred from parts of Georges Bank.
Georges Bank is a submerged plateau between Cape Cod, US, and Cape Sable Island, Canada. Its northern edge off New England has been closed to scallop fishing. Navarro pledged to address the issue in an environmentally sensitive and conservation-minded manner, with input from the New England Fishery Management Council.
In 1994, officials closed large fishing grounds in Georges Bank after a cod stock assessment showed a 40% decline over four years and concluded the fleet was about twice the sustainable size. The New England Fishery Management Council voted in 2024 not to reopen those grounds to protect scallop productivity. Spokesman Alexander Dunn said the issue may be reconsidered at its September meeting.
Other NOAA priorities include evaluating restrictions, permit policies, accountability measures, boundaries, and stock definitions along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. The US $320 billion fishing industry relies on NOAA to manage coastal fisheries, developing management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining fishing seasons.