The Trump administration announced on July 2, 2026, a reduction in commercial fishing regulations across the United States. This action includes the reopening of New England waters, particularly parts of Georges Bank, to scallop fishing.

White House adviser Peter Navarro stated, "We're opening the Atlantic and the Pacific, and the American consumers are going to benefit from what we're doing now." President Donald Trump stated, "I have opened up the Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Seas to our Fishermen, and freed them from ridiculous Environmental restrictions that allowed other countries to take advantage of the United States' Waters under Barack Hussein Obuma, Sleepy Joe Biden, and the Dumocrats."

The US Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) simultaneously announced regional priorities aimed at revitalizing the seafood sector. Other actions prioritized by NOAA include evaluating restrictions, permit policies, accountability measures, boundaries, and stock definitions along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. A senior administration official stated, "The goal was really simple: We need to defend our domestic fishing industry, promote productive harvest of our resources and boost the great American fishermen." Navarro added, "It's going to be done systematically," noting the process would involve input from the New England Fishery Management Council.

These policy changes follow an April 2025 executive order from Donald Trump. That order aimed to increase domestic seafood production and directed the Commerce Department to loosen regulations and open marine monuments to commercial fishing. The desire to ease restrictions on scallop fishing originated from an Oval Office meeting between Donald Trump and scallop fishermen, who expressed concerns about not being allowed to fish in parts of Georges Bank.

Georges Bank is located between Cape Cod in Massachusetts and Cape Sable Island in Nova Scotia. Officials closed a large segment of fishing grounds in Georges Bank in 1994. A 1994 National Marine Fisheries Service assessment of cod stock on Georges Bank found a 40 percent decline over four years and concluded the fishing fleet was about twice the size that the area could sustain. The northern edge of Georges Bank off the coast of New England, which serves as spawning grounds for Atlantic cod, has been closed to scallop fishing. The New England Fishery Management Council voted in 2024 not to reopen these grounds to protect the long-term productivity of scallops.

Why It Matters

The Trump administration's decision to reduce commercial fishing regulations and reopen New England waters, including parts of Georges Bank, marks a shift in federal fisheries management. This action reverses previous closures of fishing grounds in Georges Bank that were established to address declining fish stocks and concerns about overfishing. The move is aligned with a 2025 executive order aimed at increasing domestic seafood production, potentially impacting the $320 billion American fishing industry by expanding access for fishermen.

The reopening of these areas introduces new considerations for resource management and conservation efforts. The process will involve agencies like NOAA, which manages coastal fisheries and develops management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining seasons in consultation with scientists and local fishermen. This approach contrasts with the New England Fishery Management Council's 2024 decision not to reopen Georges Bank fishing grounds to protect scallop productivity.