Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness

NOAA launched an agency-wide effort to gather initial public input on implementation of Executive Order 14276, Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness, on August 27, 2025. We are inviting feedback on fishery-related barriers, fisheries management, science, and other priority needs identified in the executive order.

The public comment period on Regulatory Reform, Seafood Industry Challenges, and Innovative Approaches in Response to the Executive Order Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness has reopened from December 1, 2025 to December 15, 2025. Comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT on December 15, 2025.

Specifically, we are looking for input on the following issues:

• Regulations that govern fishing activities that may be suspended, revised, or rescinded
• Challenges specific fisheries are facing, suggestions for innovative improvements, and examples of existing federal fishery regulations that could be modified to enhance U.S. fishing businesses
• Ways to improve fisheries management and science, including:
  • How can less expensive and more reliable technologies and cooperative research be used to support fisheries assessments?
  • How can NOAA Fisheries improve and modernize how it collects and uses data so federal fishery regulations better reflect what’s happening on the water right now?
  • What types of data, tools, or information do U.S. fishing businesses need most to deal with changing economic and/or environmental conditions and keep fishing? How can NOAA Fisheries best support the development and use of these resources?
• How to expand exempted fishing permit programs to promote fishing opportunities nationwide

Comments

When commenting, please identify costs to the government, regulated industry, or both to the extent possible.

Please submit input via e-mail to nmfs.seafoodstrategy@noaa.gov.

Public Listening Sessions

In addition to the opportunity to submit comments via email, NOAA Fisheries' leadership team will be accepting input during two public listening sessions. These online sessions will be held via webinar.

Session A: Thursday, September 25, 2025 - 4:30-5:30 PM EST.

Session B: Wednesday, October 1, 2025 - 4:30-5:30 PM EST. - CANCELED

NEW DATE***: Monday, December 8, 2025 - 4:00-5:00 PM EDT. Online registration is now available.

***Participants MUST register to attend the December 8 session, regardless of registration status for previous sessions.