Rescission of Commercial Fishing Restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
Department of Commerce
The regulation formally rescinds 50 CFR 600.725(x), eliminating the Magnuson-Stevens Act provisions that previously prohibited commercial fishing within the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
The agency executed this removal to conform domestic fishery regulations with the February 6, 2026, Presidential Proclamation Unleashing Commercial Fishing in the Atlantic.
Because the rule aligns existing regulations with presidential authority under the Antiquities Act, the agency bypassed standard public comment periods and the customary 30-day regulatory delay, citing a lack of discretionary authority.
Commercial fishing operations can legally resume within the boundaries of the Monument, and the rule removes previous statutory restrictions, providing the fishing industry with immediate certainty that the localized commercial bans established in prior administrative actions are legally void.
The jurisdictional scope of this open access applies strictly to the Canyons Unit and the Seamounts Unit of the Monument located in the waters of the North Atlantic.
While the localized prohibition is lifted, all commercial operators in the area remain fully subject to standard federal fishery oversight, including compliance with 50 CFR 648.373.
