President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order to "unleash commercial fishing in the Atlantic" by rolling back prohibitions former President Barack Obama placed on a 4,913 square mile area off the New England coast.
The NHJournal, reporting Friday on a White House fact sheet it obtained, reported that the White House said Trump is "committed to removing unnecessary restrictions on American fishermen in order to strengthen the U.S. economy, support coastal communities, and restore fairness to an industry disadvantaged by overregulation and unfair foreign competition."
The publication reported that the president was expected to sign an executive order on the fishing issue Friday. But according to the White House website, the order had not been issued as of Saturday.
Newsmax has reached out to the White House for further comment.
The president promised during his 2024 campaign that he would lift restrictions on the U.S. seafood industry as a whole.
In April, he signed orders directing the Commerce Department to loosen regulations and open marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. In a separate proclamation, the president opened 400,000 acres of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument situated south and west of Hawaii to commercial fishing.
According to information received by the NHJournal, Trump is expected to roll back prohibitions on commercial fishing in a 4,913 square mile area that Obama declared as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
Trump initially rolled back the restrictions during his first term in office, but they were reinstated by former President Joe Biden.
"By revoking the Obama-Biden restrictions, President Trump's proclamation supports New England's fishing communities, in turn fostering economic growth and job creation in coastal regions," the White House fact sheet said.
The fishing industry strongly supported Trump's reelection campaign, including his pledge to stop offshore wind projects, which he followed through on with an executive order on his first day back in the White House.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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