How Trump’s Regulatory Freeze is Disrupting the U.S. Fishing Industry
March 25, 2025 | 1 min to read
Fishermen across the country are feeling the impacts of overfishing and delays in fleet operations due to President Donald Trump’s regulatory freeze, which has created uncertainty within America’s $320 billion fishing industry. This chaos threatens the timely start of the fishing season for East Coast cod and haddock fleets while contributing to the overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The industry relies heavily on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for management and quota setting in various fisheries.
From the Atlantic to Alaska, fishermen say overfishing and fleet delays are shaking up a $320 billion industry.
President Donald Trump’s regulatory freeze has injected chaos and uncertainty into a number of lucrative American fisheries, raising the risk of a delayed start to the fishing season for some East Coast cod and haddock fleets and leading to overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna, according to Reuters interviews with industry groups and federal government employees.
America’s $320 billion fishing industry relies on a branch of the federal government, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to manage coastal fisheries. Under a 1976 law, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service develops management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining the start and close of fishing seasons, in consultation with federal government scientists and local fishermen.
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