Donald J. Trump declares “National Scallops Day” and opens Georges Bank to fishing
says NOAA will open the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to scallop fishing, reversing Obama- and Biden-era environmental restrictions.
WHITE HOUSE — Donald J. Trump declared a “National Scallops Day” and announced that NOAA will open the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to scallop fishing on a Truth Social post on July 2, 2026 at 12:48 PM EST.
Here is the full post (see truthsocial): “Today I am declaring a National Scallops Day to celebrate an action taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will open up the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to Scallops Fishing, fulfilling the dream to our Great Fishermen who were so badly treated by the Obama and Biden Administrations, and by the Country of Canada. That will mean millions more pounds of beautiful Wild Scallops a year on the kitchen table of Americans, and more Jobs in Norfolk, Virginia, Cape May, New Jersey, New Bedford, Massachusetts, and essentially all parts of the East Coast. This is in addition to freeing up a massive area off the East Coast for our Great Lobster Fishermen, and others (An Environmental Monument declared by Barack Hussein Obama and Sleepy Joe Biden, that I terminated!), and a half a million square miles of the beautiful Pacific Ocean, where every country was allowed to fish except for our Great American Fishermen! I have opened up the Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Seas to our Fishermen, and freed them from ridiculous Environmental restrictions that allowed other countries to take advantage of the United States’ Waters under Barack Hussein Obuma, Sleepy Joe Biden, and the Dumocrats. It is my Great Honor to have done so because I am the Fishermen’s Friend — GO OUT AND VOTE REPUBLICAN IN THE MIDTERMS, BECAUSE IF THE COMMUNISTS GET IN, YOU’LL NEVER FISH AGAIN! Thank you for your attention to this matter. Donald J. Trump”
Trump framed the NOAA action as a victory for commercial fishermen along the East Coast. He said the move would yield millions more pounds of wild scallops each year and create jobs in Norfolk, Virginia, Cape May, New Jersey, New Bedford, Massachusetts, and other coastal communities.
The post also referenced the reversal of environmental monument designations established by former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Trump claimed he terminated an environmental monument off the East Coast that had restricted lobster fishing and opened half a million square miles of the Pacific Ocean to American fishermen.
Trump accused the Obama and Biden administrations of imposing environmental restrictions that allowed other countries to exploit U.S. waters while American fishermen faced limits. He also accused Canada of treating American fishermen unfairly, though he did not provide details on that claim.
The post concluded with a partisan appeal urging voters to support Republican candidates in the midterm elections. Trump warned that Democratic control would end fishing access, calling his opponents “Communists” and “Dumocrats.”
Georges Bank, located off the coast of New England, has long been one of the most productive fishing grounds in the North Atlantic. The Northern Edge of the bank had been subject to environmental protections that restricted certain types of commercial harvesting, including scallop dredging. The scallop industry is a major economic driver in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which ranks as one of the highest-value fishing ports in the United States.
In the last 30 days, 48 of 534 Trump posts addressed the topic of domestic policy, making it a recurring theme on his Truth Social account.
Source: Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.
Note: Chart generated on July 2, 2026 at 12:53 PM EST
Source: Zenger analysis
Note: Table generated by NewsFindr on July 2, 2026 at 12:54 PM EST