Trump Reopens the Pacific to American Fishermen and Signs the Seafood Order: 'Fish, Baby, Fish' (April 17, 2025)

President Donald Trump gave American fishermen back their waters in the Pacific and signed an order to make U.S. seafood competitive again. “So you just heard us: The economic zone around Hawaii and Samoa is huge, and it’s exclusively ours. So why wouldn’t we have our fishermen fish there?” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in the Oval Office on April 17, 2025, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

Every country in the world, Lutnick said, fishes the waters off its coast, “and we were stopping our own fishermen from going off the coast. It’s totally the opposite of common sense.” [1]

The video above shows Trump signing the seafood order on April 17, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project [1][2][3][4].

”Nearly Half” of the Pacific Zone

First, Trump signed a proclamation opening the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. Under the old ban, “American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands,” the proclamation says [2].

“This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets,” it says [2].

“This disadvantages honest United States commercial fishermen and is detrimental for United States territories like American Samoa, whose private sector economy is over 80 percent dependent on the fishing industry,” the proclamation says [2].

“We have a proclamation for your signature today, sir, that would reopen this area for commercial fishing by American-flagged vessels only. This is a huge deal to the island populations in the Pacific,” White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf said. “And we hope that this will lead to a new dawn for the American fishing industry in the Pacific Islands.” [1]

“What they did to you is ridiculous,” Trump told the fishermen [1].

“The U.S. has the biggest EEZ in the Pacific, and yet we can’t fish there. And it seems unfair,” said commercial fisherman Ricardo Da Rosa [1]. “It’s an area of three Californias,” Rep. Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa said of the closed zone [1].

“It was a tiny one, and Obama made it huge,” White House senior counselor Peter Navarro said of the monument’s 2014 expansion [1].

Trump said the boats had to travel far before they could fish. “Now, they use it for a beautiful cruise to take 7 days before they can do their first fish. Can you believe it?” he said, to laughter [1].

“So, if the fish is there, we can make more trips and employ more people,” Da Rosa said [1].

Guests then sang in Samoan, the transcript notes [1].

”Dramatically Overregulated”

Then came the seafood order. “One is that the American seafood industry is dramatically overregulated,” Scharf said. “The other is that we have unfair trade practices from our foreign trading partners relating to the seafood industry.” [1]

“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,” the order says [3].

“Federal overregulation has restricted fishermen from productively harvesting American seafood including through restrictive catch limits, selling our fishing grounds to foreign offshore wind companies, inaccurate and outdated fisheries data, and delayed adoption of modern technology,” it says [3].

It orders the Commerce secretary to “develop and implement an America First Seafood Strategy to promote production, marketing, sale, and export of United States fishery and aquaculture products and strengthen domestic processing capacity.” [3]

“Nearly 90 percent of seafood on our shelves is now imported, and the seafood trade deficit stands at over $20 billion,” the order says. “The United States should be the world’s dominant seafood leader.” [3]

“Fish, Baby, Fish”

“We have the greatest coasts in the world, with the greatest fishermen in the world, and we need to let them do their great jobs,” Lutnick said [1].

“I mean, we should have a trade surplus in fish, and we have a big trade deficit,” Navarro said. Then he added: “Fish, baby, fish.” [1]

“This is an easy one. This is crazy, huh?” Trump said, to laughter, as he signed the order [1].

Radewagen said American boats help police the waters. “Now that you’re allowing the U.S. fishing fleet to fish, they also serve as observers,” she said. “And so it’s great for our U.S. food security.” [1]

“You’ve seen that signature, and I don’t use autopen, you know?” Trump joked after signing the proclamation [1].

By the Numbers

• 4 million+ square miles: of U.S. fishing grounds, per the order [3].
• Nearly 90 percent: of seafood on U.S. shelves is imported, per the order [3].
• $20 billion+: the seafood trade deficit, per the order [3].
• 400,000+ square miles: in the Pacific monument, per the proclamation [2].
• 80 percent+: of American Samoa’s private economy depends on fishing, per the proclamation [2].

What Happened Next

The Atlantic was next. On Feb. 6, 2026, Trump signed a proclamation reopening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off New England to commercial fishing [4].

The proclamation says President Obama created the monument in 2016, Trump lifted its fishing ban in 2020 and President Biden reinstated the ban in 2021 [4].

“A prohibition on commercial fishing is not, at this time, necessary for the proper care and management of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument,” Trump wrote [4].

For Trump with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni earlier the same day, see HYGO News’ page on April 17, 2025. For Trump’s order on showerheads and water pressure, see the page on April 9, 2025.

Sources

1. The American Presidency Project: Remarks at a Document Signing Ceremony and an Exchange With Reporters (April 17, 2025)
2. The American Presidency Project: Proclamation 10918, Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific (April 17, 2025)
3. The American Presidency Project: Executive Order 14276, Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness (April 17, 2025)
4. The American Presidency Project: Proclamation 11009, Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Atlantic (February 6, 2026)