Trump is loosening the deficit to support America’s $20 billion seafood trade deficit. Overhunting of conservation groups could unravel the “safety net” of the ocean
President Donald Trump’s executive order, which boosts U.S. commercial fishing, has attracted praise from commercial fishing groups and said that criticism from environmental organizations fears that cutting regulations will hurt fish populations already declining in some parts of the ocean.
The order represents a dramatic change in federal government’s policies regarding fishing in U.S. waters by prioritizing the benefits of commercial fisheries over efforts to increase fish supply.
presidentHis decision described as “easy” to improve the USCommercial fishingIndustry by stripping regulations and starting harvesting in previously protected areas.
“The United States should be the dominant seafood leader in the world,” he said Thursday.
Some environmental groups cited the importance of relying on Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act. The number of fish stocks on the federal government’s overfishing list has increased from 40 in 2013 to 47 in 2023. Conservationists said they fear that weaker regulations will result in more numbers.
“These executive orders will not ease the deficit, unravel the very safety net that protects our oceans, economics and seafood dinners,” said Beth Lowell, Vice President of Oceana, Conservation Group. “For decades, the US science-based approach to fisheries management has rebuilt inventory declines, keeping American fishermen in the water, and protecting critical locations and wildlife.”
Some sectors of the fishing industry have been hit hard by environmental changes and overfishing, including the wise industries of the past.Main shrimpandAtlantic CodIt was exhausted a long time ago. Some West Coast speciessalmonIt’s also running out.
There was againsuccess. The federal government said last year that bluefish on the Atlantic coast and coho salmon stocks on the Washington coast could be removed from the overfishing list.
The fishermen said they are looking for a brighter future thanks to Trump’s executive order. Lisa Warrenda Picard, president and CEO of the Virginia National Fisheries Institute, represents a “thoughtful and strategic approach” that could be a lifeline for American fishermen.
“EO outlines important actions that benefit all links in the supply chain, ranging from hardworking fishermen to parents serving their families to this nutritious, sustainable protein,” Warrenda Picard said. “Importantly, this order calls for reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens for fishermen and seafood producers, while also promoting the many benefits of eating seafood as part of a healthy and balanced diet.”
Trump’s order came on the same day he issued a declaration allowing commercial fishing at the Pacific Islands Heritage Marines National Memorial. The monument was created by President George W. Bush in early 2009 and consists of approximately 495,189 square miles (1,282,534 square kilometers) of the Central Pacific Ocean.
Environmental groups, which have vowed to challenge attempts to undermine protection in certain areas, also criticized the move.
“It is one of the most primitive tropical marine environments in the world already facing the dire threats from climate change and ocean acidification,” said David Henkin, an attorney for conservation group Earthjustice. “We will do everything with our strength to protect the monument.”
Refuting conservation groups, the Trump administration argues that restrictions such as catch restrictions and competition with wind companies for fishing grounds are hindering one of the country’s oldest companies.
“In addition to overregulation, unfair trade practices put our seafood market at a competitive disadvantage,” Trump’s executive order said.
The order order gives Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick a month to identify “the most heavily overregulated fisheries that require action and take appropriate action to reduce their regulatory burden.” They also ask local fisheries managers to find ways to reduce the burden on domestic fisheries and increase the number of fisheries.
The order also calls for the development of a comprehensive seafood trade strategy. It accuss Lutnick of reviewing existing marine monuments, which are underwater protected areas, and providing recommendations on what should be open to commercial fishing. Trump also targeted the Marine Corps memorialHis first semester.
This story was originally introduced Fortune.com