Washington, D.C.  (October 14, 2025) —  Today, two leading coalitions released their public comments on Executive Order (EO) 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” after officials refused their request for a transparent public process. The comments, submitted by the National Ocean Protection Coalition (NOPC) and the America the Beautiful for All coalition, detail the harmful consequences that the executive order will have on marine national monuments in an effort to ensure the public is informed of the lasting impacts to the health of the ocean.

EO 14276 threatens to open marine national monuments to destructive activities that damage sensitive ocean ecosystems and the local economies that rely on them. This dangerous action paves the way for industrial-scale commercial fishing in our nation’s largest marine protected areas (MPAs), endangering protected species like dolphins and turtles caught as bycatch and physically harming fragile habitats and food webs.

Similar to national parks on land, marine national monuments are protected areas of the ocean created to sustain vital underwater habitats like seamounts and coral and protect sensitive and iconic marine life. These places were set aside from destructive activities because of their unique importance, fragility, and value to the American people. 

NOAA held a 45-day comment period, set to close on October 14, to collect input from the public that will inform the implementation of the Executive Order. However, the notice failed to request input related to marine monuments and the agency has not committed to make comments publicly available – refusing or ignoring requests for a transparent public process, despite the well documented impacts that industrial fishing would have on protected areas that belong to the American people.

“The Trump administration wants to dismantle our marine national monuments in the dark of night, without public debate,” said Dr. Miriam Goldstein, Executive Director of NOPC. “These marine monuments are the ocean’s equivalent of our national parks—places that benefit marine life and cultural heritage and are too important to risk for short-term gain. The public has a right to know what is at stake, and if the Trump Administration won’t publish our comments, we will.”

“Opening up marine monuments to industrial fishing fleets sets a dangerous precedent that our public lands and waters are for sale to the highest bidder,” said Angelo Villagomez, Ocean Lead for the America the Beautiful for All Coalition. “The United States controls nearly five million square miles of ocean, and there is room for us to have the world’s best managed fisheries and networks of marine protection, safeguarding the most threatened, iconic, and special places in our ocean. Pitting them against each other is a false choice.”

EO 14276 follows the playbook from the first Trump administration.  On May 7, 2020, Trump signed EO 13921 – Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth, calling for “streamlining of fishery regulations.”  Less than one month later, Trump rolled back protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. 

The comments by NOPC and the America the Beautiful coalition highlight the importance of protecting monuments, including:

• National monuments have a long history of bipartisan support from lawmakers and are supported by the vast majority of the public, including Tribal Nations, business leaders, scientists, and conservationists.

• Marine monuments are vital tools to protect the health of our ocean and serve as living laboratories for scientific research, as well as  refuges for endangered species.

• Industrial fishing in monuments will cause damage by disrupting food webs, degrading ecosystem function, and catching and entangling marine wildlife.

• Commercial fishing does not belong in monuments.  Even when consistent with fisheries management laws, commercial fishing is not an environmentally neutral activity, and alters ocean ecosystems.

The full set of comments made available by NOPC and America the Beautiful can be found here.

About NOPC

The National Ocean Protection Coalition (NOPC) includes groups representing national, regional, and local perspectives from across the U.S. and includes Tribal leaders, racial justice advocates, scientists, faith leaders, conservationists, outdoor enthusiasts, fishers and more. Together, we work to create and support marine protected areas (MPAs) – special places in the ocean that, much like national parks on land, serve as a refuge for the wildlife that call these underwater places home and help to ensure a healthy ocean for the benefit of all. 

About the America the Beautiful Coalition

The America the Beautiful for All Coalition is the largest, most representative coalition in the United States to save our natural and cultural heritage while upholding environmental justice and defending public health. Founded in 2022, AtB has gathered over 300 member organizations around the twin goals to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, while directing at least 40 percent of new conservation investments to historically under-served communities.