On February 6, the Trump administration announced it was weakening protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England. The disappointing rollback removes the prohibition on commercial fishing within the only highly protected area in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean, opening this unique and sensitive marine wonder to future damage from fishing gear and industrial harvest. The federal action is part of a larger trend by the current administration of gutting conservation through alarming attacks on our nation’s public lands and waters.
"The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine Monument protects an extremely sensitive and biologically diverse ecosystem of national significance,” said Isabella DeFrancesco, Northeast Regional Manager with Surfrider Foundation. “The Trump administration's ill-advised action to remove protections for the monument established under federal law will undermine its purpose to safeguard ecological resources, improve resilience to climate change, and sustain tourism, recreation, and fishing opportunities off New England. Our volunteers throughout the Surfrider Northeast network are passionate about protecting this ecosystem for the mutual benefit of endangered marine species, local coastal communities, and future generations to come."
Located 130 miles off the coast of New England, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument encompasses some of the most productive and sensitive ocean habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. The monument includes three undersea canyons and four seamounts, and is home to many species of rare and fragile deep-sea corals, some thousands of years old. These unique ocean features also provide a refuge for an abundance of marine life, including endangered whales, sea turtles, and many species of fish and marine life. This amazing region of the Atlantic was designated as a national monument by President Obama in 2016 to ensure its lasting protection.
Surfrider has worked to support and defend Northeast Canyons and Seamounts for many years. Under the first Trump administration, our network opposed similar attacks through grassroots advocacy to congress and participation in agency comment periods. In 2024, Surfrider and our partners celebrated when the Biden Administration finalized a strong management plan for the monument, marking a critical step to ensure proper stewardship of fragile marine resources. This overdue action was aligned with public opinion as a 2022 poll of 3,500 New Englanders found that more than 80% favored establishing permanently protected areas in the ocean.
While the Trump administration’s action to weaken Northeast Canyons & Seamounts is hugely disappointing, Surfrider's network will continue to fight to protect these and other federal marine protected areas from rollbacks, including Marine National Monuments and National Marine Sanctuaries. We also will continue our advocacy in congress to ensure sufficient laws and funding to protect marine resources. To learn more about these efforts, please visit our Defend Marine Protected Areas Campaign page.