Trump signs Executive Order to revive US seafood industry

In the order, Trump states that while most American fish stocks are healthy and have viable markets, seafood is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the United States, with “federal overregulation” restricting fishermen from productively harvesting American seafood including through restrictive catch limits. In addition to this, he highlights that fishing grounds have been sold off to foreign offshore wind companies, that the fisheries data is “inaccurate and outdated”, and there has been a delay in the adoption of modern technology.

“The United States should be the world’s dominant seafood leader. But in addition to overregulation, unfair trade practices have put our seafood markets at a competitive disadvantage. Nearly 90% of seafood on our shelves is now imported, and the seafood trade deficit stands at over $20 billion. The erosion of American seafood competitiveness at the hands of unfair foreign trade practices must end,” Trump said.

He continued: “The United States must address unfair trade practices, eliminate unsafe imports, level the unfair playing field that has benefited foreign fishing companies, promote ethical sourcing, reduce regulatory burdens and ensure the integrity of the seafood supply chain.”

To usher in “a new era of seafood policy, the President said the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and with input from the US fishing industry, shall immediately consider suspending, revising or rescinding regulations that “overly burden” America’s commercial fishing, aquaculture and fish processing industries at the fishery-specific level.  

Within 30 days of the date of the order, he wants the Secretary of Commerce to have identified the most heavily overregulated fisheries requiring action and take appropriate action to reduce the regulatory burden on them, in cooperation with the Regional Fishery Management Councils, interagency partners, and through public-private partnerships.  

This process shall include the following actions:

• The Secretary of Commerce shall request that each Regional Fishery Management Council, within 180 days of the date of the order, provide the Secretary of Commerce with updates to their recommendations submitted pursuant to Executive Order 13921, to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and to increase production. Building upon the earlier goals, identified actions should stabilise markets, improve access, enhance economic profitability, and prevent closures. Regional Fishery Management Councils (RFMOs) will commit to a work plan and a schedule for implementation to ensure these actions are prioritised
• The Secretary of Commerce shall solicit direct public comments, including from fishing industry members, technology experts, marine scientists and other relevant parties, for innovative ideas to improve fisheries management and science within the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; the Endangered Species Act of 1973; the Marine Mammal Protection Act; and other applicable laws
• The Secretary of Commerce shall pursue additional direct public engagement to ensure executive departments and agencies are focusing core fisheries management and science functions to directly support priority needs that strengthen the US seafood supply chain

The order also advises that the Secretary of Commerce shall direct the National Marine Fisheries Service to incorporate less expensive and more reliable technologies and cooperative research programmes into fishery assessments, as well as expanding exempted fishing permit programmes to promote fishing opportunities nationwide.  

Also, the secretary shall take all appropriate action to modernise data collection and analytical practices that will improve the responsiveness of fisheries management to real-time ocean conditions. 

Furthermore, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce shall develop and implement an America First Seafood Strategy to promote production, marketing, sale and export of United States fishery and aquaculture products and strengthen domestic processing capacity. 

This programme shall accelerate the Department of Agriculture’s efforts to educate American consumers about the health benefits of seafood and increase seafood purchases in nutrition programmes, Trump’s order states.

Within 60 days of the date of the order, the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with members of the Interagency Seafood Trade Task Force, shall also assess seafood competitiveness issues and jointly develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy. This, the order states, shall be based upon the Seafood Trade Strategy of 3 November 2020, that improves access to foreign markets and addresses unfair trade practices – including IUU fishing and unjustified non-tariff barriers — while ensuring a fair and competitive domestic market for United States seafood producers.

Meanwhile, the order tasks the United States Trade Representative with examining relevant trade practices of major seafood-producing nations, including with regard to IUU fishing and the use of forced labour in the seafood supply chain, and consider appropriate responses, including pursuing solutions through negotiations or trade enforcement authorities.

The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other relevant agencies, are also instructed to immediately consider revising or rescinding recent expansions of the Seafood Import Monitoring Programme to unnecessary species and further improve the programme to more effectively target high-risk shipments from nations that routinely violate international fishery regulations.  

They shall use cost savings to improve thorough checks at United States ports to prevent IUU seafood from entering the market, the order states.