Fact Check: Is Trump's claim about foreign fishing in a protected Atlantic sanctuary true?
WASHINGTON, DC: After signing a proclamation to reinstate commercial fishing at three Pacific Ocean sites, President Donald Trump claimed that Canadian and Japanese fishermen had been harvesting lobster in an Atlantic sanctuary that was off limits to Americans, triggering questions.
Let us analyze the president's viral claim and fact-check its accuracy.
Claim: Foreign fishermen harvested Maine lobster in waters off limits to Americans
On June 11, while signing a proclamation to reinstate commercial fishing at three Pacific Ocean sites, Trump told reporters, "A massive amount of the Atlantic Ocean, we weren't allowed to fish."
"In Maine, I opened it up. You know who was fishing there? Canada. Japan was fishing there. Maine lobster. You couldn't get a Maine lobster. You had to go to Japan to get a Maine lobster. You believe that? You had to go to Canada to get a Maine lobster."
Trump's claims were amplified on social media, with supporters praising the move as a boost for US fishermen and domestic production.
Fact Check: Trump's claim is false
The president's claim that foreign vessels were fishing in the protected area while Americans were barred from doing so is false.
According to Svenja Koepper, a marine biologist in Canada, “All commercial fishing was prohibited regardless of the nationality" at the site.
Jeff Nichols, communications director at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, told AFP that the term "Maine lobster" refers to lobsters from the American lobster species "landed by Maine harvesters and sold by Maine dealers." There is no such thing as a Canadian or Japanese "Maine lobster," as claimed by the president.
Experts told AFP that, in any case, the ocean zone containing the sanctuary Trump referred to is not a significant area for lobster fishing activities.
The entire ocean zone in which the monument is located "accounts for less than 9 percent of the overall coastwide US lobster landings," said Tina Berger, communications director at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Experts warn Trump's fishing move threatens ecosystem
Marine scientists say the sanctuary supports a rich and diverse ecosystem, with many species relying on one another for survival.
Conservation groups have strongly opposed removing protections for the marine monument, warning that doing so could threaten vulnerable marine life.
Meanwhile, climate change is altering lobster populations, with numbers increasing in northern waters while declining in the southern part of their range.
Experts caution that as northern waters continue to warm, the species could face increasing pressure on its long-term survival.
