President Trump issued a proclamation on Feb. 6, 2026 revoking Proclamation 10287 (2021) and restoring management of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument under Proclamation 10049 (2020).
Under Proclamation 10049, commercial fishing is allowed within the approximately 4,913-square-mile monument area.
The proclamation cites the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other federal laws (Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Clean Water Act, etc.) as providing protections for species and habitats inside and outside the monument.
The administration’s stated finding is that appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put the monument’s objects of historic and scientific interest at risk.
The change reverses the 2021 decision that reinstated prohibitions on commercial fishing, and it takes effect by presidential proclamation subject to existing statutory authorities and any applicable regulatory processes.
Follow Up Questions
What and where are the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument exactly, and why was it designated?Expand
The monument is an ~4,913-square‑mile area of U.S. federal waters about 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod that includes three submarine canyons (Oceanographer, Gilbert, Lydonia) and four seamounts (Bear, Mytilus, Physalia, Retriever). It was designated to protect those geologic features and the vulnerable deep‑sea ecosystems they support—ancient deep‑sea corals, sponges, unique benthic communities, and important habitat for fish, whales, sea turtles, and seabirds—for scientific study and conservation.