On April 17, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” The goal is to strengthen the U.S. seafood industry by reducing regulatory burdens, combating unfair trade practices, and enhancing domestic production, processing, and export capacity.
Focus on Targeting SIMP
One section of the order calls for a comprehensive review of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), which monitors imports of species at risk of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Department of Commerce, in consultation with health and security agencies, has been instructed to:
- Reassess and potentially rescind requirements for species considered low-risk
- Focus on high-risk shipments from countries with repeated violations of international fisheries rules
- Reduce unnecessary compliance burdens for importers
- Improve enforcement through enhanced port inspections and the use of new technology to detect foreign violations
These changes may alter the risk profile for different exporting countries and species.
Further Measures in U.S. Seafood Policy
In addition, the order outlines several broader measures that may have international implications:
- Regulatory reform of domestic fisheries: Within 30 days, the most heavily “overregulated” fisheries are to be identified, and deregulatory actions are to be developed in cooperation with the Regional Fishery Management Councils.
- “America First Seafood Strategy”: A strategy will be developed to increase the production, marketing, and export of U.S. seafood. The USDA is tasked with strengthening consumer outreach and reducing seafood purchases in federal nutrition programs.
- New seafood trade strategy: Within 60 days, a strategy will be formulated to address unfair trade practices, market access barriers, and IUU fishing.
- Review of marine national monuments: Within 180 days, a review will assess whether protected marine areas should be opened to commercial fishing.
For more information, see Executive Order 14276.