Congress named the group after the Gulf of Mexico in 1976. Will that name change under the Trump administration?

For nearly half a century, little thought has been given to the name Congress gave the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an order changing the name of the body of water to “American Gulf” on federal agency maps, contracts and other documents and communications.

So what is the name of this nearly 50-year-old advisory committee established to give anglers a voice in fisheries management across the Gulf?

The group is still considering it.

“We have to wait for further guidance,” said City Council spokeswoman Emily Muhlstein, who lives in Gulfport. “Right now, we’re just ‘waiting and seeing.'”

The Magnuson-Stevens Act, signed by President Gerald Ford in 1976, established eight regional fisheries councils, including the Gulf of Mexico region, and laid the foundation for a sustainable fishing population.

The council’s legislative staff is currently trying to determine whether President Trump’s order would require reauthorization of the law itself to finalize the name change, or whether the executive order would take precedence.

The council is one of many with brands associated with the Gulf of Mexico and is currently trying to figure out what happens next with President Trump’s order. For example, a spokesperson for the nonprofit Gulf of Mexico Alliance said in an email that they have not yet received a response on whether the name will change. The assistant town manager for Longboat Key, where Gulf of Mexico Drive is located, said the decision to rename the road rests with the Florida Department of Transportation. The Ocean Conservancy, which frequently publishes information about restoration efforts in the bay, said it is still reviewing the executive order.

Federal agencies appear to have already adopted the new name. A spokesperson for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wrote in an email Wednesday that the agency looks forward to “protecting and preserving the health and productivity of the American Gulf.”

It didn’t take long for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to jump on the new name.

Just hours after President Trump signed the executive order, DeSantis declared a state of emergency, citing the arrival of winter. The governor’s office referred to “an area of ​​low pressure across the U.S. Gulf” in the first line of the order.

If this is an indication that Florida agencies intend to use the new name in research, policy and other communications, it’s little clear so far how that will play out. It has not become. A spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Environment and Wildlife, which frequently refers to the Gulf of Mexico in studies and reports, did not respond to questions about whether it would use the new name. A spokesperson for the governor’s office also did not respond to questions.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is tasked with overseeing fishing regulations in Florida, has not yet mentioned the executive order. Shortly after President Trump ordered the name change, some Florida anglers quickly posted their thoughts online.

“Now that it’s the Gulf of America, previously established fishing regulations no longer apply. Open season baby!!” one person wrote.

“Does this mean all Gulf of Mexico regulations are invalid?” asked another.

Jaclyn Lopez, director of the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson School of Law, said the name change would likely have “little legal impact” on fishing regulations. For example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which falls under the same federal department currently responsible for renaming the bay, has renamed species such as the eastern indigo snake in the past.

“It doesn’t matter what you call it,” Lopez said. “Even if the name changes, the quality and character remain the same.”

The name “Gulf of Mexico” dates back to Spanish exploration of the waters in the 1500s. The International Hydrographic Organization, a common standard for nautical charting, refers to the Gulf of Mexico when defining its boundaries.

According to a recent Tampa Bay Times interview with Jack Davis, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Bay: The Making of America’s Oceans,” President Trump’s actions are a sign that the Bay feels like it belongs to them. This was consistent with a long history of American leadership. The United States is the Gulf’s biggest polluter and exploits its waters more than any other Gulf state, Davis told the Times.

What happens next for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council remains to be seen, Muhlstein said. However, as head of marketing and communications for the group, she is “beginning to consider the scope of rebranding the organization”.

Updating your website with a new logo requires a lot of work.