Trump administration aims to cut regulations on US commercial fishing

Summary

The administration of United States President Donald Trump is slashing commercial fishing regulations from coast to coast, including reopening New England waters to scallop fishing that was banned after overfishing. “We’re opening the Atlantic and the Pacific, and the American consumers are going to benefit from what we’re doing now,” White House adviser Peter Navarro said in a briefing with reporters on Thursday. The US Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced regional priorities that the government said were designed to revitalise the seafood sector. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he was declaring a national scallops day to celebrate the action by NOAA. He added, “I have opened up the Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Seas to our Fishermen, and freed them from ridiculous Environmental restrictions that allowed other countries to take advantage of the United States’ Waters under Barack Hussein Obuma, Sleepy Joe Biden, and the Dumocrats. It is my Great Honor to have done so because I am the Fishermen’s Friend — GO OUT AND VOTE REPUBLICAN IN THE MIDTERMS, BECAUSE IF THE COMMUNISTS GET IN, YOU’LL NEVER FISH AGAIN!” It was not clear how NOAA planned to implement these priorities or how long it would take, given their scope. The moves follow an April 2025 executive order from Trump aimed at increasing domestic seafood production by directing the Commerce Department to loosen regulations and by opening marine monuments to commercial fishing. Marine monuments are designated to protect areas of the marine environment. They are managed by NOAA and other partners. “The goal was really simple: We need to defend our domestic fishing industry, promote productive harvest of our resources and boost the great American fishermen,” a senior administration official said. The desire to ease restrictions on scallop fishing came out of an Oval Office meeting between Trump and scallop fishermen, who complained they were not allowed to fish in parts of Georges Bank, Navarro said. Georges Bank is an area between Cape Cod in Massachusetts in the US and Cape Sable Island in Nova Scotia in Canada.