Lowers regulatory burdens on fishing, adviser Navarro says

The US is moving to lower regulatory burdens on fisheries, including reopening the northern edge of New England’s Georges Bank to scallop fishing, White House trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro said Thursday. Navarro said the two steps were agreed during an Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and scallop fishermen and are part of a broader effort to revitalize the US seafood sector. He linked the actions to an April 2025 executive order by Trump that sought to boost domestic seafood production by directing the Commerce Department to loosen regulations and to open marine monuments to commercial fishing. The US $320 billion fishing industry relies on 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 when fishing seasons open and close.