Overview

• President Trump issued an executive order and proclamation to boost domestic seafood production by reducing regulations and opening protected marine areas to commercial fishing.
• The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, encompassing 400,000 acres, is now accessible to U.S.-flagged vessels fishing 50–200 nautical miles from its landward boundaries.
• The Commerce Department has been tasked with identifying and easing regulatory burdens on heavily regulated fisheries under a 1976 law.
• Environmental groups plan to challenge the orders in court, questioning the legality of reducing protections under the Antiquities Act.
• The U.S. imports nearly 90% of its seafood, contributing to a $20 billion trade deficit, a key justification for the policy shift.