July 12, 2024

US seafood industry coalition pushes for offshore aquaculture legislation

More than 50 companies, organisations, and individuals connected to the US seafood industry have signed a letter urging an important US Congressional committee to consider three bills related to offshore aquaculture, Fishfarmingexpert reported.

The letter, from the industry coalition Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), has been sent to the leaders of the US House of Representatives' Natural Resources Committee. It represents growing support for expanding aquaculture in US federal waters.

Signatories include tech and artificial intelligence companies such as San Francisco's Aquabyte and Boston's Innovasea, Hawai'i kanpachi farmer Blue Ocean Mariculture, and California's Monterrey Bay Aquarium. Feed producers like Cargill, Skretting, and Rangen/Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition, as well as Amy Novogratz, co-founder and board member of sustainable aquaculture investor Aqua Spark, also signed the letter.

"SATS is proud to lead this industry letter of support as we advocate for expanding aquaculture in US federal waters," said Drue Banta Winters, campaign manager of SATS.

"With nearly 80% of the seafood consumed in the US being imported - up to half of it farm raised overseas - and climate change impacting wild capture fisheries, enhancing our domestic seafood production through aquaculture, in complement with our wild fisheries, is not just a smart choice but a necessity. A robust American offshore aquaculture industry is essential to bolster our sustainable seafood supply and secure our nation's food security, and we encourage the Committee to take action to advance legislation that would facilitate the growth of the industry."

The letter, addressed to committee chairman Bruce Westerman (Republican, Arkansas), ranking member Raul Grijalva (Democrat, Arizona), Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee chairman Cliff Bentz (Republican, Oregon), and ranking member Jared Huffman (Democrat, California), highlights the potential of offshore aquaculture to improve American food security and nutrition. It also emphasizes the benefits of enhancing coastal resilience, creating quality jobs, restoring species and habitats, and ensuring that seafood, both wild-caught and farmed, remains an important part of the global food supply.

The letter offers industry support as the Committee considers three offshore aquaculture-related bills: HR 4013, the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act; HR 5944, the Science-based Equitable Aquaculture Food (SEAfood) Act; and HR 1461, the Coastal Seaweed Farm Act.

The permitting process for offshore aquaculture in the US is currently complicated, slow, and varies from state to state. Previous attempts to create a law for a simpler, universal permitting process have failed because the proposed legislation has not been prioritised and addressed before the end of the two-year term of the sitting Congress.

-      Fishfarmingexpert