Subcommittee splits over Trump executive order to 'restore American seafood competitiveness'

The subcommittee convened an oversight hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” to examine an April executive order from the president and whether the administration’s proposed regulatory changes and programs can boost domestic harvests.

Chair Hageman opened the hearing by describing Executive Order 14276 as a directive to reduce regulatory burdens, adopt new technologies and work with the eight regional fishery management councils. “Today the subcommittee … is holding a hearing on restoring America's seafood competitiveness,” the chair said in her opening remarks.

Several witnesses welcomed the stated goals but warned the administration’s personnel and program decisions undercut that aim. Ranking Member Hoyle said she supports competitiveness but challenged the administration’s approach: “You’re not going to make our seafood industry more competitive by firing staff at NOAA, canceling research, banning NOAA staff from traveling to meetings, or by instigating trade wars with erratic and unstrategic tariff policies.” Representative Huffman was blunt: calling the EO an “imperial edict,” he said it “dismantles the programs, the science, and the safeguards that have made U.S. fisheries among the most sustainable in the world.”

Industry witnesses described ways the EO could be implemented within the existing council process. Rick Belvance, who chairs the Council Coordination Committee that represents the eight regional fishery management councils, said the councils are preparing recommendations for NOAA to reduce burdens and increase production while balancing conservation. “The councils, with the input of technical staff, advisers, and the public, are now redirecting efforts to update and add to recommendations we made in 2020,” Belvance said.

The hearing also focused on the role of state‑led pilot programs and Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs). Martha Gaius, Southeast fisheries policy director at the American Sport Fishing Association, highlighted the Gulf red snapper experience: states built their own data programs, tested state management via EFPs and then obtained delegated authority, which she said produced more reliable data and longer recreational seasons. Gaius urged using similar state‑led testing in the South Atlantic to avoid closures proposed in NOAA’s Amendment 59.

Critics argued the administration’s simultaneous cuts to NOAA and to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (a tool to address illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) raise credibility concerns. Witnesses and members repeatedly pressed for clarity on how the executive order’s deregulatory directives will be reconciled with the need for timely stock assessments, enforcement and supply‑chain transparency.

The subcommittee did not take legislative action; members indicated they will submit follow‑up questions and consider oversight or funding responses depending on the administration’s implementation of the EO.