The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has implemented multiple measures intended to directly address an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump that included a deregulatory wish list featuring desired changes to fisheries the council manages.
During its September 2026 meeting, the council committed to considering some of the measures that Trump proposed in his order, including opening scallop fishery access to the Northern Edge area of Georges Bank. Trump’s order directly called on the NEFMC to open the Northern Edge area, which would mark the first time in 30 years that fishing for scallops would be allowed in the region.
White House Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro called the move “unlocking the fertile fisheries of America” during a press conference soon after the announcement.
“America has the largest wild scallop fishery in the world. Atlantic scallops are a premium American protein, yet imports now supply roughly 85 percent of what Americans consume by weight,” Navarro said. “The insanity is clearest on Georges Bank. Canada lawfully harvests scallops on its side of the line, while American boats remain locked out of the adjacent U.S. northern edge by regulators.”
NEFMC agreed to take it up during the 2027 priority-setting process in December 2026 and said it plans to allow for time to evaluate the request along with other potential priorities during the year.
“The council considered four potential management options to open the area to scalloping including a holistic habitat management review; a dedicated habitat action; a scallop action that builds on previous analyses and alternatives; or not including this work as 2027 priorities which could lead to a Secretarial Action,” NEFMC stated. “The Northern Edge is currently designated a Habitat Management Area, which closes it to dragging gear to minimize impacts on essential fish habitat for Atlantic cod, American lobster, and Atlantic herring, among other species.”
While the council is considering action on opening the Northern Edge, it said it declined to take up permit stacking in 2027 due to “capacity constraints” and, instead, deferred to NOAA and potential Secretarial Action on the issue. Secretarial Action can take place if the council fails to propose a plan in a reasonable amount of time or if the secretary disapproves of a council's plans, meaning U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick could then make a decision regarding permit stacking.
“While the Council does not have a position on stacking permits, it last took up the issue of consolidation at the September 2022 meeting when it opted not to develop an action to allow leasing in the Limited Access component of the fishery following a scoping process,” NEFMC said in a release. “At the time, the Council cited concerns about job losses and other negative economic impacts on waterfront communities as reasons for not developing an action.”
