WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — April 17, 2025 — President Donald J. Trump today signed an executive order titled Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, aimed at strengthening the domestic seafood industry by reducing regulatory burdens, addressing foreign trade imbalances, and improving fisheries management.
One of the most significant provisions of the order instructs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, to review all existing marine national monuments within 180 days. The Secretary must provide recommendations to the President on any monuments that should be opened to commercial fishing. The review must consider whether such actions would be consistent with the preservation of the historic landmarks and scientific features originally identified when the monuments were established.
The order states that the United States possesses over 4 million square miles of prime fishing grounds and that most domestic fish stocks are healthy. However, it describes the seafood sector as heavily regulated and contends that “federal overregulation” has hindered harvesting through restrictive catch limits, outdated fisheries data, and delayed adoption of modern technology.
It further highlights that approximately 90% of seafood consumed in the United States is imported, contributing to a trade deficit exceeding $20 billion. The order criticizes what it describes as unfair foreign trade practices and calls for a policy shift to support ethical sourcing and protect U.S. markets.
Key directives in the order include:
- Regulatory Review: The Secretary of Commerce must identify the most heavily overregulated fisheries within 30 days and take action to reduce regulatory burdens, in coordination with Regional Fishery Management Councils and other partners.
- Public Input: The Department of Commerce will solicit ideas from the public, industry members, scientists, and technology experts to improve fisheries science and management under existing federal law.
- Technology and Data Modernization: The National Marine Fisheries Service is instructed to adopt less expensive, more reliable technologies and modernize data collection methods to better respond to real-time ocean conditions.
- Trade Policy: A comprehensive seafood trade strategy must be developed within 60 days by the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to improve access to foreign markets and address unfair practices, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
- Import Oversight: The Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with other federal agencies, is directed to revise recent expansions of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program and improve enforcement against high-risk foreign seafood shipments.
The order also calls for the development of an “America First Seafood Strategy” to promote the production, sale, and export of U.S. seafood and to enhance public awareness of seafood’s health benefits through nutrition programs.