U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, 1 January, vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of driftnets in federal waters off the California coast.
The move means lawmakers will need to start efforts anew to pass legislation that mirrors what California lawmakers passed in 2018, as a new U.S. Congress was sworn into office on Sunday, 3 January.
In rejecting Senate Bill 906, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act, Trump said his administration has done more than any other to promote American seafood interests and claimed the bill would put about 30 family-owned fishing companies out of business.
He also noted the seafood trade deficit, currently at about USD 17 billion (EUR 13.9 billion), as a reason for vetoing the legislation…