I have worked on the water as a professional fisherman all my life. Today, I serve as President and Chief Strategist of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA), which represents fishermen who fish the waters of the North Atlantic and the New York Bight, along with their families, business and industry associations, and members of the public who support wild-caught American seafood. I speak for the people who work in these waters every day and for the communities that depend on them.
We see ocean conditions as they occur, not in reports months later. Yet policy too often gives priority to theory over experience and paperwork over results. Commercial fishermen are not line items. We live with the consequences of every decision made in Washington. On the water, these decisions could make fishing less safe, mismanage fish and put American commercial fishermen out of business.
AMERICAN SEAFOOD IS AMERICAN FOOD SECURITY
In 2026, it is time to clearly recognize that wild-caught U.S. seafood is America’s food security. America controls one of the largest and most productive food resources in the world, and commercial fishermen make it possible to feed this country under some of the highest standards anywhere.
COAST GUARD IDENTIFIES 7 VICTIMS ABOARD THE GLOUCESTER COMMERCIAL FISHING BOAT THAT SUNKEN OFF MASSACHUSETTS
At the same time, we are forced to compete against cheap imported seafood that floods American markets and undermines American harvesters. Much of this product comes from overseas operations with weak or non-existent environmental and labor standards, yet is marketed as fresh or sustainable. Meanwhile, American fishermen who follow the rules are slowly being driven out.
American farmers know this problem well. Domestic food producers that adhere to strict regulations are routinely undermined by imports that do not. Commercial fishermen, like farmers, are a pillar of national resilience. Any new food policy must rebuild and protect domestic seafood production so that American fishermen can feed American consumers to American standards.
OFFSHORE WIND EQUALS FOREIGN INDUSTRIAL TAKEOVER OF OUR OCEANS
We cannot credibly claim to support domestic fish and food security while allowing the industrial takeover of our ocean. Offshore wind destroys habitats, displaces fishing from historic lands and entrenches permanent industrial hazards in working waters. It would be like setting fire to our fields and calling it progress.
Commercial fishermen warned from the start that these projects would jeopardize offshore safety. Offshore winds degrade marine radar, disrupt search and rescue capabilities, and disrupt military and homeland defense systems. When radar and rescue systems fail offshore, lives are at risk. The infrastructure causing these failures has no place in working waters or national safety zones.
Once built, the damage is permanent. Tax dollars should not be used to eliminate U.S. commercial fishing jobs so foreign energy companies and private equity firms can industrialize the waters that feed this country.
ATTACH GROUNDFISH FROM THE GROUND
Our New England groundfish fishery is in turmoil. Fishermen face quota fluctuations that shift from feast to famine, often caused by incomplete surveys or outdated data. A stock can be plentiful one year and effectively unavailable the next, not because the fish disappeared, but because the research failed to reflect reality.
When that happens, fishermen can’t simply turn around. When the fishery they depend on suddenly closes and they don’t have permits for others, boats tie up, crews are sent home, and coastal businesses suffer despite the healthy fish in the water.
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Restoring trust starts with better ratings. Better science does not mean more models disconnected from reality. It means cooperative, industry-based research, where fishermen will work alongside scientists over time. On the West Coast, industry-chartered vessels and fishing crews have been working with scientists for decades to improve surveys, reduce uncertainty and produce more reliable management results.
A PATH FORWARD WITH COMMON SENSE
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The choice for the nation is clear. We can continue policies that push America’s commercial fishermen aside and replace domestic seafood with imports and industrial uses of the ocean, or we can follow the direction set by the President’s executive order and put America’s food producers first. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the federal government has recognized that domestic seafood production is a matter of national importance, economic resilience, and food security.
Commercial fishermen are ready to answer that call. With a clear vision from the White House and policies based on real-world experience, we can protect and strengthen fisheries that are already sustainable, restore working waterfronts, and make American seafood a backbone of our national food supply once again. We are a nation of fishermen willing to roll up our sleeves, put in the work and get the job done with the President’s help, feeding America first and leading the world by example.
