A pair of fishermen have asked a federal judge for permission to defend U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to reopen the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing in court.
The status of commercial fishing in the 5,000-square-mile area off the coast of New England has flipped multiple times over the last decade, with U.S. President Barack Obama initially banning all commercial fishing except for lobster and crab harvesting when he designated it a marine monument in 2016. A lawsuit brought by commercial fishers failed to succeed in overturning the ban, but Trump reopened the area to commercial fishing in 2020 via a proclamation. U.S. President Joe Biden reinstated the ban in 2021, but Trump again reopened the area to commercial fishing via a proclamation in February 2026.
Then, in May of this year, a collection of conservation groups sued to block commercial fishing in the marine monument, calling Trump’s actions “unlawful.”
“Conservation Law Foundation [CLF] campaigned to establish this monument because the life it shelters is unique and irreplaceable. The last time the Trump administration tried to strip away protections, we sued and kept fighting until protections were restored. We’re ready to do it again,” Staff Attorney for the Ocean Program at CLF Chloe Fross said in a release.
In the lawsuit, the groups claim that the president does not have the authority to abolish or diminish marine monuments established by previous presidents.
On 31 July, New England commercial fishers Frank Green and Bob Conrad filed a request to intervene in the case, allowing them to defend the reversal of the ban in court. The fishers are being represented by public interest law firm Pacific Legal Foundation, which claims that the initial ban on commercial fishing was made illegally. According to the group, the U.S. Antiquities Act “does not empower presidents to designate marine monuments or ban commercial fishing.”
“Presidents have abused their power under the Antiquities Act for decades, drastically exceeding its narrow scope and disregarding Congress to restrict Americans’ right to productively use natural resources,” Pacific Legal Foundation Environmental Attorney Frank Garrison said in a release. “The fishermen who work those waters shouldn’t have their livelihoods threatened by unilateral presidential decree. We are proud to represent our clients as they stand against this violation of their rights and the rule of law.”
The Pacific Legal Foundation has challenged several commercial fishing regulations in court on behalf of fishermen, including 24/7 GPS monitoring of the Maine lobster fleet, vessel speed limits meant to protect North Atlantic right whales, and the rulemaking authority of regional fishery management councils. The Pacific Legal Foundation also led the failed lawsuit to overturn Obama’s initial creation of the marine monument and his ban on commercial fishing in that area.
