White House Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores American Seafood Competitiveness

STRENGTHENING THE U.S. FISHING INDUSTRY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to restore American seafood competitiveness.

• The Order strengthens the U.S. fishing industry by reducing regulatory burdens, combating unfair foreign trade practices, and enhancing domestic seafood production and exports.

• It directs the Secretary of Commerce to immediately consider suspending, revising, or rescinding regulations that overly burden America's commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries.

• It directs the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to:
  • Incorporate better, cheaper, more reliable technologies and cooperative research programs into fishery assessments.
  • Expand exempted fishing permit programs to promote fishing opportunities nationwide.
  • Modernize data collection and analytical practices to improve the responsiveness of fisheries management to real-time ocean conditions.

• The Order establishes an America First Seafood Strategy to boost U.S. seafood production, sales, and exports, ensuring long-term industry growth and global competitiveness.

• The Order also mandates the development of a seafood trade strategy to address unfair competition, low environmental and labor standards, and illegally sourced seafood from abroad, while expanding access to foreign markets for American seafood products.

• It tasks the administration with improving the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) to better detect high-risk shipments from countries that violate international laws.

• It orders a review of all existing marine national monuments to assess opening them to commercial fishing.

ADDRESSING THREATS TO AMERICAN SEAFOOD COMPETITIVENESS: President Trump recognizes that overregulation and unfair trade practices have eroded the U.S. fishing industry's global leadership.

• The U.S. controls over four million square miles of prime fishing grounds but imports nearly 90% of its seafood, resulting in a trade deficit exceeding $20 billion.

• The seafood industry is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the United States, with restrictive catch limits and outdated data hampering American fishermen's productivity.

• Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, forced labor in foreign seafood supply chains, and unfair trade practices abroad all undermine U.S. markets.

SUPPORTING AMERICAN FISHERMEN: This Executive Order builds on President Trump's commitment to revitalize the U.S. fishing industry.

• In 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order to promote seafood competitiveness and remove unnecessary regulatory burdens.

• Upon returning to office, President Trump signed an Executive Order halting offshore wind projects to preserve a robust U.S. fishing industry for future generations.

• President Trump implemented tariffs to protect America's fishing industry—praised as being a lifeline for the shrimping industry.