Pictured, President Trump after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House.
Photo: The White House.
"The United States should be the world's dominant seafood leader." This sentence, included in the text of the executive order (EO) signed by Trump last week, sums up its spirit. 'Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness' points out the guidelines that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce will have to develop in the coming months to put the North American country back in first place in seafood products.
With over 4 million square miles of prime fishing grounds - this is more than 10 million square kilometers - the United States controls one of the largest and most abundant ocean resources in the world. Moreover, the order signed by President Trump says, most U.S. fish stocks are healthy and have viable markets, despite which, it adds, seafood is "one of the most heavily regulated sectors" in the country.
"Federal overregulation has restricted fishermen from productively harvesting American seafood including through restrictive catch limits, selling our fishing grounds to foreign offshore wind companies, inaccurate and outdated fisheries data, and delayed adoption of modern technology," the executive order reads.
"But in addition to overregulation, unfair trade practices have put our seafood markets at a competitive disadvantage," it continues. "Nearly 90 percent 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."
Therefore, the U.S. President proposes a return to another executive order signed by him in 2020, during his previous stint in the White House. In his view, 'Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth' - which is still in effect - improved the competitiveness of U.S. seafood, simplified regulations, supported maritime jobs and coastal economies, and improved data collection.
Nevertheless, he believes that the administration following his did not know how to continue this policy. "During the past 4 years, our fishermen were once again crushed under the pressure of unnecessary regulations and unfavorable policies. It is vital that we now build upon our previous hard work with new, additional measures to promote domestic fishing," he now states.
To achieve this, the new Government intends to address unfair trade practices, 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.
As mentioned above, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, supported by other state agencies and with input from the U.S. fishing industry, will be in charge of developing the guidelines outlined in this executive order to restore competitiveness to the U.S. fishing sector by ushering in a new era of seafood policy.
Broadly speaking, these will be the main tasks that Lutnick will have to address in the immediate future:
Consider the suspension, revision, or rescission of those regulations that impose excessive burdens on commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries on a fishery-specific basis. To this end, within 30 days of the date of the order, identify the most overregulated fisheries and take appropriate measures to reduce the regulatory burden on them.
Direct the National Marine Fisheries Service to incorporate less costly and more reliable technologies and cooperative research programs in fisheries assessments conducted under 16 U.S.C. 1867. As soon as practicable, it should also expand exempted fishing permit programs to promote fishing opportunities nationwide and take all appropriate steps to modernize data collection and analysis practices that improve fishery management responsiveness to real-time ocean conditions.
Develop and implement an 'America First Seafood Strategy' to promote the production, marketing, sale, and export of U.S. seafood and aquaculture products and strengthen domestic processing capacity, as well as educate national consumers about the health benefits of seafood and increase their purchase of seafood in nutrition programs.
Assess - within 60 days of the EO - the industry's competitiveness issues and develop a comprehensive trade strategy based on the Seafood Trade Strategy of November 3, 2020, which 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 U.S. producers.
Examine relevant trade practices of major seafood-producing nations, including IUU fishing and the use of forced labor in the supply chain, and consider appropriate responses, including through negotiations or trade compliance authorities.
Consider immediate review or rescission of recent expansions of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to "unnecessary species" and further improve the program to more effectively target high-risk shipments from nations that routinely violate international fisheries regulations, which will also consider options to use improved technology to identify foreign fisheries-related violations.
Review all existing marine national monuments and provide recommendations to the President on those that should be opened to commercial fishing.
According to the EO 'Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness', the Secretary of Commerce has 180 days from the proclamation to conduct the latter-mentioned review of marine national monuments and their possible opening to commercial fishing.
However, on the same day of its signature - last April 17 - President Trump issued another EO - published prior to this one - in which, under the name 'Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific' he ordered the opening of one of them: the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM).
Established to protect and preserve the lands and marine environment around Wake, Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands; Johnston and Palmyra Atolls; Kingman Reef; and the historic and scientific objects therein - what include fish, birds, marine mammals, coral, and the general biodiversity of the ecosystems encompassed by the PRIMNM - as part of its management, commercial fishing is currently prohibited within its boundaries.
"Under these monument proclamations, over 400,000 square miles in the Pacific Ocean were appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public land laws for care and management by the Federal Government," now says Trump's executive order.
Concerning fish in particular, the U.S. President believes that PRIMNM management "is doing little to guard fish populations against overfishing," since tuna and other pelagic species found within PRIMNM boundaries are migratory in nature and do not permanently reside there.
"As a result of the prohibitions on commercial fishing, American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands. This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets," Trump claims.
"Therefore, I find that appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put objects of scientific and historic interest within the PRIMNM at risk," he continues. And adds, "I find that a prohibition on commercial fishing is not, at this time, necessary for the proper care and management of the PRIMNM or the objects of historic or scientific interest therein."
Trump's 'Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness' EO has received immediate support from the national fishing industry. The first to react has been the U.S. National Fisheries Institute (NFI), which, in a statement signed by its President and CEO, Lisa Wallenda Picard, said the order is "aimed at strengthening the U.S. seafood community."
"NFI commends the President and his Administration for taking a thoughtful, strategic approach to supporting American seafood production and consumption. The EO outlines key actions to benefit every link in the supply chain—from hardworking fishermen to parents who serve their family this nutritious and sustainable protein at home," she continued.
"NFI stands ready to support the Administration in advancing this important policy initiative and improving the lives of all those who depend on the commercial seafood industry," she concluded.
The United States' shrimp industry also joined in applauding the EO. "The Southern Shrimp Alliance, representing the U.S. shrimp industry, strongly commends President Trump's decisive Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness Executive Order signed on April 17," the organization's statement read.
"This critical action directly confronts the existential threats facing our domestic shrimp industry: unfair trade practices, use of forced labor, unsafe imports, and regulatory imbalances that have decimated America’s fisheries and coastal communities," it continued.
"President Trump's Executive Order represents the most significant action in decades to restore American seafood sovereignty and protect seafood consumers," Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, John Williams, said.
These executive orders appear to be a further step in the protectionist policies the Trump Administration initiated in February with the proclamation of its import tariffs, and which, although currently paused, continue to cast their shadow over global seafood markets.
In a reality where the food supply chain is global, U.S. restaurants and grocery stores have recently shown their concern about tariffs increasing food and packaging costs, driving prices up for consumers, who will feel the pressure on their household budgets. In their view, the tariffs will also add uncertainty to availability management and, in addition, could reduce the competitiveness of U.S. companies against their international competitors.
It remains to be seen whether this boost to the domestic fishing industry will be able to meet the demand from these sectors. So far, neither the U.S. National Restaurant Association nor FMI - The Food Industry Association, which represents a wide range of members from across the food value chain, have commented on the matter.
All of this also comes at a time when, according to various reports leaked to the U.S. media, the Trump Administration plans to make radical changes and drastic funding cuts at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including shutting down all of the agency's climate-related research.
This news, which we learned last week, comes just five months after unveiling a $147.5 million initiative aimed at boosting NOAA's capacity for climate-informed data collection, analysis, and climate-informed decision-making in support of sustainable fisheries and resilient coastal ecosystems.
Thus, despite the recent appointment of Eugenio Piñeiro Soler as NOAA Assistant Administrator, the fact that the main coordinator of all these new measures - including those affecting fisheries management in Marine National Monuments - will be coordinated by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce seems to confirm the theory that NOAA Fisheries - at least as we knew it until now - is under threat.
