Officials and Fishermen Celebrate Trump’s Boost to Domestic Seafood Industry

A huge part of the reason that many industries all but disappeared from America and we became dependent upon foreign nations is that extreme government regulation and meddling made it impossible to compete with cheaper foreign equivalents. The Trump administration is aiming to change that with America’s seafood industry.

Part of the “Seafood Strategy” is to make $5 billion in loans available to those involved in the seafood industry. The Trump administration is also lifting regulations that prevented expansion and infrastructure updates within the industry. The Food and Drug Administration is going to make a label available for marking seafood that is caught in American waters and by American companies. 

And Seafood.gov will provide information on the benefits of American seafood while assisting both consumers and fishermen to understand the new regulatory structure and federal focus. This should trigger the creation of more jobs and ensure a domestic supply of seafood that undercuts foreign dependence.

On October 30, the White House posted comments from a number of officials and industry experts, who are excited to see the effects of the “Seafood Strategy.” Among them is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who explained that he spent years working for commercial fishermen, “and commercial fishermen in this country have the strongest environmental regulations and the greatest sustainability regulations, but it puts them at a disadvantage to all the other fishermen in the world.” He added, “President Trump is rebuilding the infrastructure and reopening the markets for our commercial fishermen.”

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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is equally optimistic. “The species managed in U.S. waters are American icons – from Maine lobster to Gulf shrimp, from Alaskan salmon to Florida stone crab, American seafood is a rich part of U.S. history and our vibrant coastal economy. The America First Seafood Strategy ensures that the future of seafood in the United States will be built by American fishermen, American workers, and American industry—not by foreign imports,” he said.

The trawling vessel trade association United Catcher Boats expressed pleasure at seeing “the Trump Administration recognizing the importance of American-caught seafood and the fishermen who harvest it! America’s seafood economy supports jobs, families, and coastal communities across the country. And Alaska is at the heart of it.” Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Executive Director Ben Martens particularly highlighted the importance of infrastructure updates. “We welcome the attention to fleet and port modernization and access to financing.”

The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association Director of Advocacy Jason Joyce found the new FDA label especially important: “The U.S. Caught Seafood label is a major win for consumers, American fishermen, seafood processors, and retailers alike… We believe U.S. seafood is the most sustainably harvested in the world, and this label gives consumers a simple, recognizable way to identify American-caught seafood while supporting our domestic fishing, processing, and retail industries.“

As for North Carolina Fishermen’s Association Chair Brent Fulcher, he said, “President Trump has brought more attention to the problems facing U.S. fishermen than any other in my lifetime. This plan coordinates multiple federal agencies to support U.S. seafood producers in fixing complex, long-term problems.” A booming domestic seafood industry will benefit workers and consumers alike.

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