October 7, 2020

 

US Senate announces new offshore aquaculture bill, environmentalists protest

 

United States Senator Marco Rubio, along with Senator Roger Wicker and Senator Brian Schatz will present a bipartisan legislation to advance aquaculture in federal waters, but the environmentalists protest that the bill could harm wild fisheries, Naples Daily News reported.

 

The new bill comes after an Eastern District court ruled that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does not have authority over oversea offshore aquaculture. However, the new Senate bill, titled Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) will be a legislative solution.

 

In a press release, Rubio said offshore aquaculture is a huge opportunity to boost Florida's economy and the country's food security.

 

Neil Sims, CEO of Ocean Era, the company proposing to construct an aquaculture facility near Sarasota city, Florida, said the new bill creates a much needed management framework.

 

The AQUAA legislation will establish areas of opportunity in federal waters, management plans for farms and permitting procedures. While regulations related to the environment aren't spelt out in detail, it does require offshore aquaculture development to be consistent with environmental law requirements.

 

Marianne Cufone, executive director of Recirculating Farms and an environmental attorney, said even though it is the correct process for Congress to provide authority to a federal agency, offshore aquaculture is outdated and dirty.

 

Recirculating Farms is part of other environmental groups protesting the bill as part of the Don't Cage our Ocean Coalition.

 

Ocean Era's Velella Epsilon project recently became the first authorised offshore aquaculture facility in the US after being granted a permit by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Velella Epsilon programme will see 88,000 pounds of almaco jack raised in the Gulf of Mexico annually, located about 72 km away from Sarasota.

 

Cufone cited Southwest Florida's recurring red tide and coral die offs as an example of environmental issues that could pollute Sarasota's waters further.

 

AQUAA is not the first offshore aquaculture-related bill to be presented, said Cufone, with many bills proposed since the '80s failed due to public pressure.

 

Aaron Welsh, a University of Miami researcher, said the proposed Ocean Era aquaculture facility may not pose an environmental risk. Welsh's published a study in 2019 that found no difference in nutrient pollution near an aquaculture farm in the Caribbean Sea. The farm was monitored between 2012 to 2018 and produced 1,500 tonnes of fish annually.

 

Sims said the current permitting process would allow Ocean Era and similar companies to establish offshore fish farms, but it would be better to have a framework and national management plan in place for the industry, the country and the planet.

 

-      Naples Daily News