My life has been defined by the ocean, spent working as a commercial fisherman. Now, I represent those still on the water – the men and women who brave the North Atlantic and New York Bight, along with the families and communities that depend on their catch. We witness the ocean’s realities firsthand, a perspective often lost in delayed reports and theoretical policies.
Too often, decisions made far from the coast prioritize paperwork over practical outcomes. Fishermen aren’t simply statistics; we live with the direct consequences of every regulation. These choices can compromise safety, mismanage vital fish stocks, and ultimately, threaten the livelihoods of American fishermen.
By 2026, it’s crucial to recognize U.S. wild-caught seafood as a cornerstone of our national food security. America possesses one of the world’s most abundant and well-managed ocean resources, and commercial fishermen are the key to unlocking that potential, operating under some of the highest standards globally.
Yet, we’re constantly battling against a flood of cheap imports. This seafood often originates from operations with lax environmental and labor practices, deceptively marketed as fresh or sustainable while American fishermen, adhering to strict regulations, are slowly squeezed out of business. It’s a familiar struggle for American farmers, facing the same unfair competition.
Like farmers, fishermen are vital to our national resilience. Any future food policy must prioritize rebuilding and protecting domestic seafood production, ensuring American fishermen can continue to feed American consumers to American standards. We cannot claim to support domestic seafood while allowing a foreign industrial takeover of our ocean.
The rise of offshore wind development poses a direct threat. It destroys crucial fish habitat, displaces fishermen from historic grounds, and introduces permanent industrial hazards into working waters – akin to deliberately damaging our farmland in the name of progress. From the beginning, fishermen warned of the safety compromises these projects would create.
Offshore wind infrastructure degrades marine radar, hindering search-and-rescue operations and disrupting vital military and homeland defense systems. When these systems fail, lives are at risk. Such infrastructure has no place in waters essential for both commerce and national security. Once constructed, the damage is irreversible, and taxpayer money shouldn’t be used to eliminate American fishing jobs for the benefit of foreign energy companies.
The New England groundfish fishery is currently in crisis. Fishermen face unpredictable quota swings, shifting between abundance and scarcity, often due to flawed surveys and outdated data. A healthy stock can become inaccessible overnight, not because the fish are gone, but because the assessment failed to reflect reality.
This creates immense hardship. Fishermen can’t simply switch fisheries if their primary permits are suddenly unavailable. Boats are idled, crews are sent home, and coastal businesses suffer, despite healthy fish populations remaining in the water. True scientific advancement doesn’t mean relying on increasingly complex models; it means collaborative, industry-based research.
On the West Coast, fishermen and scientists have partnered for decades, using industry-chartered vessels and crews to improve surveys, reduce uncertainty, and achieve more reliable management outcomes. This is the model we need to emulate. The path forward is clear: we can either continue policies that marginalize American fishermen, or we can prioritize domestic food production, as directed by recent executive orders.
The federal government has rightly recognized that domestic seafood production is a matter of national interest, economic resilience, and food security. American fishermen are ready to answer that call. With a clear vision from Washington and policies grounded in real-world experience, we can safeguard sustainable fisheries, revitalize working waterfronts, and re-establish American seafood as a cornerstone of our national food supply.
We are a nation of fishermen, prepared to work diligently and deliver results, feeding America first and setting a global example. We stand ready to get the job done.
