New England Fishermen Celebrate Trump Executive Order Aimed at Restoring the U.S. Seafood Industry

President Donald Trump moved to reinvigorate the U.S. seafood industry and restore U.S. dominance on Thursday with an executive order that drew praise from Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) as well as the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA).

[RELATED: Trump Executive Order Aims to Restore U.S. Maritime Dominance and Counter Chinese Shipbuilding…]

“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,” said President Trump in his order.

“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,” he added.

The order aims to address the unfair foreign trade practices, unsafe imports, and burdensome regulations preventing U.S. dominance of the seafood industry.

“It is the policy of the United States to promote the productive harvest of our seafood resources; unburden our commercial fishermen from costly and inefficient regulation; combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and protect our seafood markets from the unfair trade practices of foreign nations,” said Trump.

The order instructs the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately investigate and, if deemed reasonable, suspend, amend, or rescind all regulations that burden the U.S. seafood industry.

The Secretary of Commerce will consider the input of fishermen and other industry experts in developing the new policies, allowing industry experts, not just unelected bureaucrats, a say in industry regulations.

In addition to deregulating, the U.S. will reevaluate its trade relationship with the largest foreign seafood producers, aiming to address unfair trade practices and low-quality products.

Fishermen may also soon have access to new fishing grounds thanks to the order. It requires a review of all existing marine national monument areas to determine whether they can be used as fishing grounds while preserving areas of significance.

Rep. Golden praised Trump’s order, citing potential benefits to Maine fishermen from an end to burdensome and unnecessary regulations.

“Washington has failed our coastal communities by leaving them out of meaningful conversations on offshore energy development, right whale regulations, and more. I’m committed to working with the President to develop a system that finally gives the fishing industry an equal seat at the table. I’m also eager to help tackle the unfair regulatory and trade practices Canada uses to disadvantage American fishermen,” said Golden on X.

“Maine fishermen have never backed down from these existential fights, and I’ve always stood with them. Today’s executive order is hopefully the first of many new wins for our coastal communities,” he added.

I appreciate the President's willingness to address the longstanding mismanagement of America's fisheries. Today's executive order covers the exact points I wrote to the administration about last week — and have been fighting to fix for the last six years in Congress.

My letter… pic.twitter.com/5FgDDZqor5

— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) April 18, 2025

The NEFSA issued a press release on the order, celebrating the deregulation and particularly praising the inclusion of fishermen in policy discussions.

“Fishing was the founding trade of our nation. But now our industry is deep in decline,” said NEFSA CEO Jerry Leeman, “This was a choice precipitated by Washington busybodies who have never been on a fishing voyage. Today’s order refocuses fisheries management where it belongs – the success and prosperity of American fishermen.”

“The order also directs the councils to integrate fishermen into their research processes, a change NEFSA has advocated since its founding,” added the group.

Just one day before the order’s release, the NEFSA penned a letter to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), asking them to investigate and reform the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the bureaucratic agency responsible for the burdensome regulations hurting American fishermen.

“Overregulation by climate-focused, ideological bureaucrats is destroying the fishing industry, making it nearly impossible for working-class fishermen to make a living. In turn, it has allowed foreign competitors to fill the gap and expand their commercial fishing markets, all while failing to achieve its intended purpose. This is precisely that type of issue that DOGE was designed to tackle,” said the letter.

Though Trump’s order does not demand an investigation of NOAA, it may lead to the overturning of many of its burdensome rules.