March 20, 2007

US needs to clear up misconceptions of offshore aquaculture

There are a lot of misconceptions people have about offshore aquaculture and these need to be cleared up before the nation embarks on a move to expand offshore production, Bill Hogarth, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) director said at the Boston seafood show.

US President George Bush recently proposed legislation that would open federal waters, from three to 200 miles off the United States coast, to aquaculture operations using submerged cages and remote control feeding devices to grow fish.

Wild harvesting and aquaculture do not necessarily have competing interests but are mutally complementary. He said.

The US imports more than 80 percent of its seafood, most of it shrimp and tuna. Half of the imports coming into the United States come from fish farms.

Allowing offshore aquaculture will turn the United States into a major player in the farm-raised seafood industry and would reduce the country's annual US$8 billion seafood trade deficit, according to the Bush administration.

Although Hogarth conceded that large-cage offshore operations remain out of the reach of many commercial fishermen, researchers are working on developing less expensive technology, he said.

Moreover, aquaculture allows fishermen to use their vessels to participate in aquaculture between fishing seasons, he said. The economic ripple effect would benefit coastal communities, Hogarth predicted.