# Executive Order: Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness
Executive Order 14276 seeks to revitalize the American seafood industry by addressing what it characterizes as excessive regulatory burdens and unfair foreign competition. The order positions the United States as controlling "one of the largest and most abundant ocean resources in the world" with over 4 million square miles of fishing grounds, yet facing challenges that have allegedly led to nearly 90 percent of seafood being imported and a trade deficit exceeding $20 billion. Building upon Executive Order 13921 (issued in May 2020), this order aims to reduce regulations that the administration claims have restricted domestic fishing operations through restrictive catch limits, competition with offshore wind projects, outdated fisheries data, and delayed technology adoption.
The order directs the Secretary of Commerce to identify and revise regulations deemed overly burdensome to commercial fishing within 30 days, working with Regional Fishery Management Councils. These councils must provide updated recommendations within 180 days to reduce regulatory burdens and increase production. It establishes a public comment process to gather innovative ideas for fisheries management while remaining within existing legal frameworks. The order mandates incorporation of less expensive and more reliable technologies into fishery assessments and directs the development of an "America First Seafood Strategy" to promote domestic products. Additionally, it requires the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy within 60 days that addresses unfair trade practices and improves access to foreign markets.
Implementation responsibilities are primarily assigned to the Department of Commerce, with collaborative roles for the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Interior. The order calls for revisions to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to target high-risk shipments from nations violating international fishery regulations while reducing monitoring of "unnecessary species." Within 180 days, the Commerce Secretary must review all marine national monuments and recommend which should be opened to commercial fishing. The order frames these changes as necessary to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices, while asserting they will strengthen domestic seafood production, marketing, and export capabilities. According to the order, these measures collectively aim to reverse what it characterizes as a decline in American seafood competitiveness that occurred during the preceding four years.