President Trump today issued an Executive Order on “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth.”
Noting the importance of a strong domestic seafood industry, reliance on imported seafood, impacts of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and need for more effective aquaculture permitting and streamlining of fishery regulations, the order makes if official policy to identify and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers affecting U.S. fishermen and aquaculture producers, combat IUU fishing, be a good steward of public funds and stakeholder time and resources, avoid duplicative, wasteful, or inconclusive permitting processes, facilitate aquaculture projects, safeguard communities and maintain a healthy aquatic environment, further fair and reciprocal seafood product trade, and hold imported seafood to domestic food safety requirements.
Specifically, the order requires the following:
- Within 180 days, development of a prioritized list of Regional Fishery Management Council-recommended actions to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and increase production within sustainable fisheries, including proposal for initiating each action by May 7, 2021, with a report due by May 7, 2021 from the Commerce Secretary evaluating the recommendations and describing actions taken to implement them
- Within 90 days, issuance of a proposed rule to further implement the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate IUU Fishing
- Encouragement of public-private partnerships to promote interagency, intergovernmental, and international cooperation to improve global maritime awareness, cooperation concerning at-sea transshipment activities, and effectiveness of fisheries law enforcement
- Prioritization of training and technical assistance in key geographic areas to promote sustainable fisheries management, combat IUU fishing, and promote implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement
- Completion of all environmental reviews and authorization decisions within 2 years for aquaculture project reviews/authorizations involving at least 2 agencies where the lead agency has decided to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, establishing NOAA as the lead agency for such projects occurring in federal water
- Within 90 days, issuance of a proposed US Army Corps of Engineers nationwide permit authorizing finfish, seaweed, and multi-species aquaculture activities in marine and coastal waters, and assessment of whether to develop nationwide permits for finfish, seaweed, and multi-species aquaculture in other US waters
- By May 7, 2021, using a public comment process and seeking to minimize conflicts with other resource uses, identification of at least 2 geographic areas containing locations suitable for commercial aquaculture, and within 2 years of such identification, completion of a programmatic EIS for each area to assess siting impacts in those locations; identification of at least 2 additional areas for each of the following 4 years, with programmatic EIS’s completed for each within 2 years of identification
- Within 240 days, issuance of a public guidance document describing federal requirements and federal/state agencies involved in aquaculture permitting and operations and identifying aquaculture-related federal grant programs
- Within 180 days, assessment of whether to revise the National Aquaculture Development Plan, with an explanation provided in the event that a revision is not undertaken
- Within 30 days, decision on whether to terminate 2008 National Aquatic Animal Health Plan and replace it with a new one; any new plan must be completed by November 2020 and include additional information about aquaculture and incorporate risk-based management strategies
- Within 30 days, establishment of Interagency Seafood Trade Task Force, and within 90 days, development of Task Force recommendations in preparation of comprehensive interagency seafood trade strategy, and within 90 days of recommendations submittal to the President of the strategy
