Kenya is set to be affected by a sweeping executive order issued by US President Donald Trump, who is seeking to revitalise the American domestic seafood industry.
A comprehensive order issued earlier this week could have a devastating impact on seafood-exporting nations – Kenya included – as the US wants to significantly cut down on reliance on imports to boost local production.
In the new directives, the US government is pushing for a reduction of what Trump considers hefty regulations on American fishermen and processors. In addition, the US wants to introduce measures to curb unfair competition from foreign suppliers by tightening loopholes which encourage unethically sourced imports.
"It is the policy of the United States to promote the productive harvest of our seafood resources; unburden our commercial fishermen from costly and inefficient regulation; combat unlawful, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and protect our seafood markets from the unfair trade practices of foreign nations," a statement from the White House read.
Part of the executive order involves a call to federal agencies to review current rules to make adjustments which would give the US fishing sector a competitive advantage.
This will involve, among other things, scaling back imports which do not meet US standards for sustainability, traceability, or labour practices.
Also at the heart of the order is the modernisation of fish markets, where agencies will be urged to adopt new technologies and faster data collection to manage fisheries better. More efficient monitoring tools are also set to be introduced.
While the new order is primarily meant to boost local production of seafood in the US, it could potentially have devastating effects on importers, including Kenya, which is fairly reliant on the superpower as a seafood trade partner.
In 2023 alone, Kenya exported Ksh51.5 million worth of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic invertebrates to the US, with live fish exports accounting for Ksh39 million of the total.
With data from the Central Bank of Kenya showing that Kenya's overall fish export earnings dropped to Ksh5.97 billion in 2024, the number could drop further with Trump's policy shift favouring the country's local producers.
Kenyan fish farmers' best bet to ensure the new policy shift does not affect them too adversely will be to adhere to the US's new regulations by ensuring their fishing practices align with international standards.
In the worst case scenario, the Kenyan seafood industry could be compelled to explore alternative markets to not only spread risk, but to reduce the over-reliance on the U.S.
