THE APEX TIMES
The Trump administration said it lifted a long-standing restriction that had limited access to scallop grounds in a New England waterway, reversing a policy imposed during the Obama and Biden administrations.
The Trump administration on Thursday rescinded a ban that had limited fishermen from accessing scallop-rich sea beds in a New England waterway, a restriction the policy previously imposed under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden had prevented anglers and fishing crews from reaching.
According to The Washington Times, the move by the Trump administration eliminates a prior prohibition tied to access to seabed areas described as “rich with scallops,” allowing fishermen to fish in areas previously blocked by the Obama-era and Biden-era restrictions. The report frames the change as a reversal of the access rules that had constrained operations in the waterway for years.
The rescission affects a specific fishery access issue rather than a broad new fishing ban, and it shifts the regulatory posture on who is permitted to reach the seabed grounds used for scallop harvesting. The practical effect, as described in the reporting, is to reopen access routes to sea-floor areas where scallops are found.
The earlier restrictions were imposed during both the Obama and Biden presidencies, meaning the Trump administration’s action represents a consolidation of authority under current executive leadership to change how the relevant waterway access rules operate. The Times report indicates the Obama-Biden ban had blocked fishermen from reaching the targeted sea beds.
Supporters of the change have cited the potential for fishermen to access what the reporting describes as “booming” grounds, while those opposed to similar regulatory easing in fishery management contexts often focus on compliance, oversight, and the conservation rationale behind restricting access. The Washington Times report does not provide additional detail in the supplied materials about any specific conservation findings or enforcement adjustments associated with the rescission.
The next steps will depend on how agencies implement the rescinded restriction in practice, including any updated access rules, permitting conditions, or compliance requirements for vessels seeking to fish the areas previously blocked. Until the underlying implementing documents are reviewed, the scope of operational changes beyond the rescission of the ban itself cannot be fully determined from the available reporting.
