On April 17, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” which proposes sweeping changes to the U.S. fishing industry. This new Executive Order takes meaningful steps to revitalize American fisheries, in direct response to a national seafood trade deficit of more than $20 billion dollars. The initiative proactively works to reduce regulatory burdens on fishermen. This one change has the potential to be a game-changer for the future of American commercial fishing.
The executive order lays out a blueprint to remove or roll-back current fishing regulations, which proponents argue have stifled the sector’s expansion. The order continues the administration’s “America-first” strategy. It puts business before biodiversity by providing the fishing industry with access to fishing grounds that had been off-limits for environmental protection reasons. Most people in the industry are thrilled about this shift. Instead, it is deeply alarming for the potential harm it would cause to sensitive ecosystems like the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery.
The impacts of Trump’s order reach far beyond the short-term economic boom. It comes in the wake of a troubling trend: a 2020 study revealed that over 82% of more than 1,300 fish and invertebrate populations are currently below levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yields. This alarming statistic underscores the immense pressures threatening marine habitats around the world. Populations of hundreds of fish and shellfish species have crashed to perilously low counts.
Fishermen throughout the country are bracing for dramatic impacts to their operations. In Stonington, Maine, America’s busiest lobster fishing port by value, industry stakeholders see a looming opportunity. They’re counting on the realization that cutting red tape might yield huge benefits to their bottom lines. Dustin Delano, a local fisherman, expressed support for the reform, stating, “We definitely feel the industry is over-regulated as a whole.”
While many fishers feel optimistic about the move toward deregulation, others feel concerned about the possible impacts. Virginia Olsen remarked, “If everything is being looked at, we should be looking at the regulations within the fishing industry.” Worries remain that lifting federal regulation could result in overfishing and push already vulnerable species closer to extinction.
Through the executive order, we hope to see the start of real changes. For example, it has resulted in the reopening of the disastrous Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. Fishermen can finally fish in places that have been closed for decades, opening new zones with vastly higher catch rates. This transition threatens delicate ecosystems and the foundations of hard-fought marine conservation gains.
Trump’s trade policies provide an inherently confusing backdrop to all of this. His administration’s trade war with major seafood producers like Canada and China could have lasting effects on the U.S. fishing industry. In fact, imports account for more than two-thirds of the seafood eaten in America. Further, instability in our trade relationships puts at risk the relative stability of our domestic market.
Don McHenan, another fisherman, emphasized the need for balance in regulatory changes: “As long as they don’t put any more onto us.” That sentiment underscores an intention to create a level regulatory playing field that supports fishermen while continuing to ensure fisheries management stays science-based and sustainable.
Opponents of the executive order believe such emphasis on economic profit rather than conservation will threaten the long-term viability of fisheries. Matt Wiebe noted the consequences of previous overfishing practices, stating, “Since New England fishers lost their cod fishery due to overfishing, many other fisheries came to respect and depend on conservation efforts.”
