Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores American Seafood Competitiveness

Fact Sheets

TLDR

This “fact” sheet is for an executive action that aims to restore American seafood competitiveness by reducing regulations, combating foreign trade practices, and enhancing domestic production. It directs officials to revise burdensome regulations, improve fishery data collection, establish an “America First Seafood Strategy,” develop a seafood trade strategy, enhance import monitoring, and review marine monuments for potential commercial fishing access.

This “fact” sheet claims President Trump signed an Executive Order to restore American seafood competitiveness by reducing regulations, combating foreign trade practices, and enhancing domestic production. It outlines directives to the Commerce Secretary and National Marine Fisheries Service, establishes an “America First Seafood Strategy,” mandates a seafood trade strategy, promises improvements to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, and orders review of marine national monuments for potential commercial fishing access.

The fact sheet asserts the seafood industry is “one of the most heavily regulated sectors” without providing comparative evidence across industries. Many regulations exist to prevent overfishing and ensure sustainable seafood populations, not simply to burden the industry.

While stating the U.S. imports “nearly 90% of its seafood,” the fact sheet omits that a significant portion of U.S.-caught seafood is processed overseas and reimported, artificially inflating import statistics. The $20 billion trade deficit figure lacks context regarding global seafood trade patterns.

The document fails to address potential environmental impacts of opening marine national monuments to commercial fishing. These protected areas often serve as critical habitats for threatened marine species and ecosystems.

The call to “modernize data collection” while simultaneously criticizing “outdated data” ignores that effective fishery management requires robust scientific data to prevent overfishing and stock collapse.

The fact sheet references Trump’s 2020 executive order on seafood competitiveness but provides no metrics on its effectiveness or outcomes, making it impossible to evaluate the track record of similar past initiatives.

Despite focusing on industry revitalization, the fact sheet provides no projections or targets for job creation or economic benefits for coastal communities dependent on fishing.

The document lacks mention of sustainability certification programs that are increasingly important for market access in international seafood trade.

The fact sheet ignores how climate change affects marine ecosystems and fish populations, a critical factor in any long-term fishing industry strategy.

Claims that halting offshore wind projects preserves the fishing industry overlooks potential coexistence strategies and the renewable energy sector’s economic benefits.

While criticizing forced labor in foreign seafood supply chains, the fact sheet offers no specific mechanisms to verify labor standards in imported products beyond the existing SIMP program.

STRENGTHENING THE U.S. FISHING INDUSTRY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to restore American seafood competitiveness.

  • The Order strengthens the U.S. fishing industry by reducing regulatory burdens, combating unfair foreign trade practices, and enhancing domestic seafood production and exports.

  • It directs the Secretary of Commerce to immediately consider suspending, revising, or rescinding regulations that overly burden America’s commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries.

  • It directs the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 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 establishes an America First Seafood Strategy to boost U.S. seafood production, sales, and exports, ensuring long-term industry growth and global competitiveness.

  • The Order also mandates the development of a seafood trade strategy to address unfair competition, low environmental and labor standards, and illegally sourced seafood from abroad, while expanding access to foreign markets for American seafood products.

  • It tasks the administration with improving the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) to better detect high-risk shipments from countries that violate international laws.

  • It orders a review of all existing marine national monuments to assess opening them to commercial fishing.

ADDRESSING THREATS TO AMERICAN SEAFOOD COMPETITIVENESS: President Trump recognizes that overregulation and unfair trade practices have eroded the U.S. fishing industry’s global leadership.

  • The U.S. controls over four million square miles of prime fishing grounds but imports nearly 90% of its seafood, resulting in a trade deficit exceeding $20 billion.
  • The seafood industry is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the United States, with restrictive catch limits and outdated data hampering American fishermen’s productivity.
  • Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, forced labor in foreign seafood supply chains, and unfair trade practices abroad all undermine U.S. markets.

SUPPORTING AMERICAN FISHERMEN: This Executive Order builds on President Trump’s commitment to revitalize the U.S. fishing industry.

  • In 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order to promote seafood competitiveness and remove unnecessary regulatory burdens.
  • Upon returning to office, President Trump signed an Executive Order halting offshore wind projects to preserve a robust U.S. fishing industry for future generations.
  • President Trump implemented tariffs to protect America’s fishing industry—praised as being a lifeline for the shrimping industry.