PORTLAND, Maine - A fishermen group's lawsuit against the creation of a marine monument off New England is likely to progress slowly while the federal government reviews national monuments around the country.
President Barack Obama created the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in September using executive authority. A coalition of fishing groups filed a lawsuit challenging its creation in federal court in March.
Since then, President Donald Trump has ordered the review of more than two dozen national monuments, including the marine monument. Attorneys for the fishermen who sued say their case is likely to proceed slowly since it could be made irrelevant by Trump's review of the monuments.
The creation of the Atlantic marine monument closed the area to most commercial fishing. It's nearly 5,000 square miles.