October 18, 2023

US lawmakers reintroduce legislation that aims to stimulate offshore aquaculture development

US lawmakers reintroduced the Science-based Equitable Aquaculture Food (SEAfood) Act last week, a legislation designed to foster and encourage more offshore aquaculture development.

If passed, the legislation would authorise the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish an offshore aquaculture assessment programme and a grant programme that would help minority-serving educational institutions create aquaculture centers of excellence.

The law would also require the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog organisation, to put together a report detailing regulatory requirements for offshore aquaculture and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on the science behind offshore aquaculture regulations.

The Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture praised the legislation, calling it "the only measure in Congress that lays the groundwork for an equitable and inclusive seafood economy of both farmed and wild-caught fish while prioritising data and science in the development of offshore aquaculture in the US."

Lawmakers have also introduced several provisions to grow support for aquaculture within the US federal government this year.

- SeafoodSource