President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a sweeping new executive order aimed at revitalizing the American seafood industry by reducing federal regulations, combating unfair foreign trade practices, and reopening access to commercial fishing grounds.
The order, titled Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, lays out an aggressive agenda to boost domestic seafood production and reassert U.S. dominance in global seafood markets. It directs federal agencies to streamline fisheries regulations, expand domestic processing capabilities, and clamp down on illegal and unethical foreign imports.
“The erosion of American seafood competitiveness at the hands of unfair foreign trade practices must end,” Trump declared in the order. “The United States should be the world’s dominant seafood leader.”
Among its key directives, the executive order tasks the Secretary of Commerce with identifying and alleviating overregulation across the nation’s fisheries within 30 days. Regional Fishery Management Councils are required to update their previous reform recommendations and commit to new action plans within six months.
The order also revives priorities set forth in Trump’s 2020 seafood executive order and outlines the creation of an “America First Seafood Strategy.” This initiative will promote U.S. fishery products both domestically and abroad, expand nutrition programs that incorporate American seafood, and support American maritime jobs.
In a direct response to foreign trade imbalances, the order calls on the U.S. Trade Representative to develop a new seafood trade strategy. This strategy will address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seek enforcement actions against nations engaged in exploitative practices, including forced labor.
Nearly 90% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, contributing to a trade deficit of more than $20 billion. The administration says it aims to reverse this trend through stronger port inspections, updated import monitoring, and modernized data collection systems.
Additionally, the order authorizes the Commerce Department to review all marine national monuments and recommend whether any should be reopened to commercial fishing, so long as it does not compromise historic or scientific preservation goals.
The administration says the new policy represents a “new era of seafood policy” focused on economic growth, fairness in trade, and food security.
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