Donald Trump has declared ‘National Scallops Day’ before taking aim at Barack Obama and Joe Biden (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has announced ‘National Scallops Day’ and declaring himself the “Fishermen’s Friend”, while also taking a brutal swipe at Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The US President ended his lengthy post on Truth Social by urging the public to vote for the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections, claiming: “Because if the Communists get in, you’ll never fish again!”
The proclamation came as Trump celebrated a decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reopen the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to commercial scallop fishing. In his post, Trump said the move would “fulfil the dream” of America’s fishermen and claimed it would result in “millions more pounds of beautiful Wild Scallops a year on the kitchen table of Americans”, while creating jobs in Norfolk, Virginia, Cape May, New Jersey, New Bedford, Massachusetts and other communities along the East Coast. The President accused the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden of treating US fishermen “so badly”, while also criticising Canada over access to fishing waters.
He went on to claim he had expanded fishing opportunities by reopening waters off the East Coast to lobster fishermen and lifting environmental protections that, he argued, had unfairly restricted American fishing.
Trump also said he had opened up “a half a million square miles” of the Pacific Ocean to US fishermen, claiming other countries had previously been allowed to fish there while Americans had been prevented from doing so.
In the post, he wrote: “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 Obama, Sleepy Joe Biden, and the Dumocrats.”
He concluded by describing it as his “Great Honor” to support the fishing industry, adding: “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!”
Expanding domestic energy production, commercial fishing and other natural resource industries has been a key priority for the Trump administration, which has also moved to scale back a number of environmental protections that it says place unnecessary restrictions on American businesses.
Commercial scallop fishermen could benefit from Donald Trump’s plans to expand access to grounds (Image: Getty)
Environmental groups have criticised several of the administration’s measures, arguing that marine protected areas and fishing limits are essential for conserving fish stocks, protecting ocean ecosystems and ensuring the long-term sustainability of commercial fisheries.
The Northern Edge of Georges Bank has been closed to commercial scallop fishing since 1994.
Last year, the New England Fishery Management Council voted against reopening the area, describing it as an important spawning ground for Atlantic cod and a highly productive habitat for scallops.
The council said the high density of scallops in the area helps replenish neighbouring fishing grounds and warned that reopening it could undermine the long-term productivity of the fishery. It also cited the area’s importance as juvenile habitat for Atlantic cod, American lobster and Atlantic herring.
However, commercial fishermen have argued the closure is no longer justified, with industry representatives calling for a science-led, rotational reopening.
They say access to the Northern Edge could help support jobs and reduce pressure on other fishing grounds.
