Trump admin opens public comments on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.Photo: Stockfile/FIS

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Input for Revitalizing American Seafood Competitiveness Through New Executive Order

UNITED STATES
Thursday, August 28, 2025, 00:00 (GMT + 9)

The agency has opened a public comment period until October 14, 2025, to address a decline in domestic seafood landings, which dropped by approximately 1 billion pounds between 2019 and 2023, and to counter a $20 billion trade deficit.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— In a coordinated effort to strengthen the U.S. seafood sector, NOAA Fisheries, under the Department of Commerce, has launched a public comment period to gather recommendations on how to implement President Donald Trump's recent Executive Order, "Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness." The order, signed on April 17, 2025, aims to address a number of long-standing challenges facing the domestic fishing industry.

The public comment period, which is open for 45 days until Tuesday, October 14, 2025, is a crucial step in fulfilling the President's vision of making the United States the world's dominant seafood leader.

The call for input comes as the industry grapples with pressures from global competition, shifting market demands, and climate-driven changes in ocean conditions. According to a statement from NOAA Fisheries, domestic landings experienced a significant decline of approximately 1 billion pounds from 2019 to 2023.

“Through our implementation of the President’s Executive Order, NOAA Fisheries is aiming to address the recent decline in fisheries landings and revenues,” commented Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, Assistant Administrator of NOAA Fisheries. Mr. Piñeiro Soler, a veteran of the industry with more than 30 years of experience, was appointed to his role on April 14, 2025, and has previously served as a commercial fisherman and business owner in his native Puerto Rico.

The new E.O. 14276 expands on a 2020 Executive Order and directs the agency to take a number of actions, including:

• Considering regulatory changes for fisheries with significant declines in landings or revenue.

• Reviewing commercial fishing limitations in existing marine national monuments, a move that has drawn concern from some conservation groups.

• Assessing and potentially modifying advanced technology strategies to improve data collection.

• Developing a collaborative, interagency "America First Seafood Strategy" to promote the production, marketing, and export of U.S. fishery and aquaculture products.

NOAA Fisheries is specifically seeking input on how to improve fisheries management and science. Questions posed to the public include how less expensive and more reliable technologies can be used for fisheries assessments, how to modernize data collection to respond to real-time ocean conditions, and how to expand exempted fishing permit programs.

The public can submit input via email to [email protected]. The agency will also hold two public listening sessions via webinar on September 25, 2025, and October 1, 2025, both at 4:30 p.m. EST.

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