Obama Did Not Destroy Fishing Industries

According to President Trump’s post on Twitter, he has saved Maine fishing and lobstering by lifting limits on commercial fishing. He is referring to signing a proclamation that opened the Atlantic Ocean’s only fully protected marine sanctuary to commercial fishing. Since signing the document, fishing can now resume at the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England. The Obama administration had previously closed off nearly 5,000 square miles of ocean in September 2016 to save whales and allow marine life to recover from overfishing. A Trump quote on WBUR read, “This action (referring to closing off the area to fishing) was deeply unfair.” Some representatives of the New England fishing industry saluted Trump’s move.

However, Misbar's investigation shows that there is “no evidence that the creation of the conservation area has hurt commercial fishing in New England.” When President Obama created the nearly 5,000 square mile marine conservation area off the New England coast, he grandfathered in lobster and crab harvesting for seven years, so there has been no impact as of yet on the lobster industry.

According to Undercurrentnews.com (a seafood business publication), “Even with a slow start last year, Maine’s lobster industry ended the year strong, with landings picking up significantly in the last few months.” The slow start was blamed on a cold spring in Maine which caused a delay when lobsters shed their shells, so fishing was slow early but picked up later in the year. The conservation measures put in place by President Obama have not ruined Maine’s lobstering and fishing industries.