Seafood Harvesters, the voice for American commercial fishermen, has called upon the new US administration to champion seafood as a national priority.
If the Trump administration lends its support to the industry it will demonstrate its commitment to what the organisation calls the “economic and environmental sustainability” of the country’s priceless marine resources.
The organisation said that the only way to ensure a plentiful and lasting seafood harvest for America is through science-based management of its fisheries.
It said that by respecting both the letter and the spirit of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the nation's foundational fisheries law, America’s commercial fishermen have played a central role in the success of US fisheries achieving a 98% increase in the sustainability of 199 of its most important fish stocks.
This has also had the added benefit of helping to curb illegal and unregulated seafood imports that put American workers and consumers at risk.
The US commercial fishing currently employs over 187,000 Americans and provides US$14.8 billion in economic output.
