National Marine Fisheries Service

04/03/2026 | Press release | Archived content

Commercial Fishing Allowed in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

On February 6, 2026, President Trump removed commercial fishing from the prohibited activities for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Presidential Proclamation 11009, Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Atlantic , clarifies that commercial fishing is now allowed within the Monument boundaries. You can find more information about the Proclamation on the White House Press Information page and in the Federal Register .

NOAA Fisheries incorporated the Monument boundaries and commercial fishing prohibition from two prior Presidential Proclamations (9496 and 10287 respectively) into the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act regulations at 50 CFR 600.10 and 600.725(x) in 2024. Today, NOAA Fisheries published a final rule conforming U.S. fishing regulations to the Presidential Proclamation 11009, Unleashing Commercial Fishing in the Atlantic , which removed the prohibition on commercial fishing within the Monument. For more information, read the final rule ( LINK ) as filed in the Federal Register .

However, commercial fishing is still restricted for certain gear types, pursuant to the New England Fishery Management Council's Deep-Sea Coral Amendment (see below).

The Monument (see Figure 1) covers underwater seamounts (Bear, Mytilus, Physalia, and Retriever) and submerged canyons (Oceanographer, Gilbert, and Lydonia).

Canyons

Point

Latitude

Longitude

1

40° 7.32' N

68° 12.72' W

2

40° 31.62' N

68° 16.08' W

3

40° 36.00' N

67° 37.68' W

4

40° 12.42' N

67° 34.68' W

Seamounts

Point

Latitude

Longitude

1

38° 51.90' N

66° 55.86' W

2

39° 56.34' N

65° 56.58' W

3

40° 2.64' N

67° 43.32' W

The New England Fishery Management Council developed, and NOAA Fisheries approved and implemented (86 FR 33553, June 25, 2021 ), an Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment to its fishery management plans. The regulations implementing this action (§ 648.373) prohibit the use of bottom-tending commercial fishing gear (with an exception for red crab pots) within the designated Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area, an area along the outer continental shelf in waters no shallower than 600 meters extending to the Exclusive Economic Zone boundary. The implementing regulations closed approximately 82 percent of the area within the Monument boundaries to bottom-tending commercial fishing gear. Proclamation 11009 does not modify the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area.

Given this existing closure, reopening the Monument to commercial fishing allows:

  1. Commercial red crab fishing anywhere within the boundaries of the Monument;
  2. Commercial Atlantic Highly Migratory Species and pelagic fishing anywhere within the boundaries of the Monument; and
  3. Bottom-tending gear to be fished in the portion of the Monument that does not overlap with the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area (outside of the red hashed area in Figures 2 and 3), including trap/pot gear, otter trawl, dredge, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I fish commercially in the Monument?

Presidential Proclamation 11009 states a vessel may fish commercially in the Monument. Restrictions imposed in the New England Council's Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment (50 CFR 648.373) still apply to bottom-tending fishing gear.

What other restrictions on commercial fishing apply within the Monument?

Given the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area, reopening the Monument to commercial fishing allows:

  1. Commercial red crab fishing anywhere within the boundaries of the Monument;
  2. Commercial Atlantic Highly Migratory Species and pelagic fishing anywhere within the boundaries of the Monument; and
  3. Bottom-tending gear to be fished in the portion of the Monument that does not overlap with the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area (outside of the red hashed area in Figures 2 and 3), including trap/pot gear, otter trawl, dredge, etc.

Can I fish recreationally in the Monument?

Yes. Anglers can continue to fish according to permits and limits that existed before the Monument designation.

National Marine Fisheries Service published this content on April 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 06, 2026 at 13:43 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]