President Trump's Commercial Fishing Executive Order Has Conservationists Worried
An open fishing policy has enormous consequences on the planet.
Published April 21 2025, 4:51 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump has been busy signing multiple Executive Orders during the first half of the first year of his second term. His latest Executive Order, signed on April 17, can have extremely dire economic and environmental consequences if observations over the years of the devastating effects of overfishing are any indicator.
What, exactly, has President Trump enacted — and what does it mean for the Pacific Ocean, which continues to house a depressing amount of waste?
You must pay attention to understand how President Trump's latest Executive Order will impact the welfare of fish in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the immense environmental consequences.
Keep reading to learn about the details of President Trump's April 17 Executive Order and the ramifications that may ensue.
Commercial fishing in the Pacific: About Trump's Executive Order.
On April 17, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled "Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness" that will have enormous ramifications for fish in the Pacific Ocean. Per the background section of the April 17 Executive Order, President Trump believes that too many regulations in the fishing industry have limited fishermen from effectively "harvesting American seafood" because of catch limits.
It should be noted, though, that the global fish population continues to rapidly decline.
According to the background section of the Executive Order: "The United States controls one of the largest and most abundant ocean resources in the world, with over 4 million square miles of prime fishing grounds," President Trump writes. "With this vast resource and centuries of hard work from American fishermen, our Nation has the greatest seafood in the world.
According to the accompanying fact sheet that the Trump Administration published in conjunction with the Executive Order, entitled "Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Unleashes American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific," the Executive Order supports the goals of his America First Fishing Policy.
Aside from the impact that fewer fishing restrictions will have on fish populations, the Executive Order will open the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) to commercial fishing.
In other words, per the fact sheet, "It allows U.S.-flagged vessels to fish commercially within 50 to 200 nautical miles of the PRIMNM’s boundaries."
Previously, the PRIMNM entailed closing off 400,000 square miles from commercial fishing.
"This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets, most notably from China," the fact sheet asserts. "By supporting honest American fishermen, we combat the rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing by foreign fleets."
Per section 4 of the Executive Order, the Secretary of Commerce, in conjunction with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will either remove or revise U.S. fishing regulations within the next 30 days. Over the ensuing 180 days, Regional Fishery Management Councils will provide the Secretary of Commerce with recommendations to alleviate restrictions on U.S. fishermen and increase production of commercial seafood harvests.
This is a great reminder that 1-in-3 fish that are caught are never eaten. As well, a complete revitalization of the world's oceans — yes, even the ones currently under attack by President Trump's flurry of Executive Orders — is possible before it is too late.