A bipartisan bill to establish national standards for sustainable offshore aquaculture has been reintroduced in the US Senate.
Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, reintroduced the ‘Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) act which aims to designate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency as the lead for marine aquaculture.
The legislation would also harmonise the permit system for offshore farms in federal waters and impel an R&D programme to drive innovation in the industry.
“The aquaculture industry is growing rapidly, but the lack of a national permitting system for federal waters has held back development and prevented American producers from growing more seafood at home,” Wicker said.
Recent figures from the trade body, National Fisheries Institute, suggest that Americans are becoming more adventurous in their seafood tastes. “This legislation would help US producers meet the growing demand for fresh, locally-sourced seafood,” said Schatz.
“Hawaii’s diverse aquaculture produced over $80 million of finfish, shellfish and algae in 2019,” he added.
Among other provisions, the AQUAA Act would:
- Uphold existing environmental standards while providing regulatory clarity
- Include a set of national standards to guide development of offshore aquaculture
- Include a national plan to identify and establish areas particularly well-suited for aquaculture
- Establish an Office of Marine Aquaculture within NOAA to coordinate federal permits
- Establish a permit giving individuals the security of tenure needed to secure financing for aquaculture
- Fund research to support innovation and the growth of aquaculture.
