Businessman Howard Lutnick was confirmed this week as the new US secretary of commerce, putting him in command of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency charged with overseeing US commercial fisheries.

The US Senate, which is currently Republican-controlled, voted, 51-45, to confirm him on Tuesday (Feb. 18), according to the Associated Press. 

Lutnick had been nominated by Donald Trump in the weeks after the 47th president won the November 2024 election. At the time, Trump said that Lutnick would also "lead our Tariff and Trade Agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative."

During his confirmation hearing late last month, Lutnick told US senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican representing Alaska, that he had no intention of altering or eliminating the US ban on Russian-origin fish. 

The Department of Commerce's mission is "to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all communities." But more importantly to the seafood industry, Lutnick now has the authority to select the head of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), as Undercurrent News previously reported. 

Lutnick also promised during his confirmation hearing not to dismantle NOAA. As reported by Undercurrent, Lutnick said he opposes moving any of NOAA's functions to the purview of the US Department of the Interior, as has also been proposed by some Trump officials.