The United States Department of Agriculture launched its new Office of Seafood April 15, 2026. The new office offers a plethora of resources and access to USDA programs for what U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins dubs “our farmers of the sea.”
The new office’s website provides “critical resources,” including infrastructure support, marketing and trade resources, workforce and business development, nutrition information, seafood safety and inspection, and research and development.
According to the Office of Seafood’s website, the office plays “an important role in USDA’s implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order 14276, Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, including the development of the American First Seafood Strategy to promote production, marketing, sale, and export of U.S. fishery and aquaculture products and strengthen domestic processing capacity.”
In a press conference yesterday, April 16, Senator Dan Sullivan said the Office of Seafood “doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is a big deal.”
According to Sen. Sullivan, the idea for the office came from Covid time when Sen. Sullivan requested the use of the USDA’s trade aid program for fishermen. American fishermen took a hard hit when exports shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic. The USDA offered assistance to farmers who lost access to their export markets during the pandemic, and Sen. Sullivan wondered if the assistance could be extended to fishermen as well. He got “yes” for an answer and then wondered if other USDA programs could benefit fishermen, especially Alaskan fishermen.
The Office of Seafood will work to connect fishermen with risk management resources, disaster assistance, and other beneficial USDA programs.
Must Read Alaska wants to know what Alaskan fishermen and folks involved in the seafood industry think of the new office. If you are an Alaskan fisherman or involved in the Alaska seafood industry, tell us your thoughts with this form here: What Do Alaskan Fishermen Think of New USDA Office of Seafood? and we will publish a story with your response!
