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Trump unveils executive order to boost U.S. seafood industry

The Trump administration has released an executive order to restore American seafood competitiveness.

The order, released on April 17, states that the U.S imports nearly 90 percent of seafood and has a seafood trade deficit that stands at over $20 billion. So the country must establish an America-First Seafood Strategy to boost its seafood production, sales, and exports.

The executive order directs the Secretary of Commerce to consider taking actions on regulations that overly burden America’s commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) was directed 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 also calls for the development of a seafood trade strategy to address unfair competition, low environmental and labour standards, and illegally imported seafood.

Reactions to the executive order

In response, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) commended the administration for taking a “thoughtful, strategic approach to supporting American seafood production and consumption.”

The NFI, in a press release, expressed its readiness to support the administration in its cause to improve the industry.

On the other hand, Ocean Conservancy, a group working to protect the ocean from global challenges, expressed its displeasure with the executive order.

Meredith Moore, Ocean Conservancy’s senior director, Fish Conservation Program, said the executive order will weaken the country’s fishing industry by increasing the risk of overfishing, driving fish stocks into decline.

“Between firing experts at NOAA, delaying fishing seasons, and disrupting ocean science and data collection, the Trump Administration is causing unprecedented chaos,” Moore said. “Our fisheries need more investment and support in order to tackle the issues of seafood trade and markets, modernizing our data systems, and responding to real-time ocean conditions. A weakened and understaffed NOAA will not be able to deliver on these promises.”