On April 17, President Donald Trump signed a pair of directives designed to streamline regulations and bolster U.S. seafood production. The first, an executive order entitled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” tasks key federal agencies with identifying and eliminating regulatory barriers to growth across commercial fishing, aquaculture and processing.
Within 30 days, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, the National Marine Fisheries Service and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must deliver recommendations on how to:
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Accelerate permitting and approvals for fishing vessels, hatcheries and processing facilities
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Modernize oversight protocols for aquaculture operations
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Reevaluate recent expansions to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP)—in operation since 2016—to ensure it does not unduly burden domestic producers
“Today’s order refocuses fisheries management where it belongs – the success and prosperity of American fishermen,” said Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association.
Coinciding with the order, the President issued the “Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific” proclamation. This measure opens the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument—more than 400,000 square miles of previously protected waters—to U.S. commercial fishing fleets.
According to the proclamation, restrictions on this zone have effectively sidelined American operators from nearly half the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the Pacific Islands, pushing fishermen into international waters to compete with subsidized foreign fleets.
Together, these actions represent a concerted effort to reduce red tape, protect U.S. industry interests and reclaim domestic market share in an increasingly competitive global seafood sector.