November 18, 2024

SATS launches campaign to promote offshore aquaculture in the US

Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), a coalition representing stakeholders in the US aquaculture industry, has initiated a month-long campaign to advocate for offshore finfish farming and educate federal lawmakers about aquaculture's potential benefits.

SATS campaign manager Drue Banta Winters highlighted the significance of open ocean aquaculture, describing it as "one of the most environmentally friendly methods for producing protein." Winters noted that while other nations have embraced aquaculture, the US has yet to capitalise on its potential due to the absence of federal legislation.

"Without federal action, the US will continue to miss out on the benefits that a thriving aquaculture industry would provide, including job creation and economic growth in congressional districts and communities across the country," Winters stated. She also emphasised that federal support for offshore aquaculture could strengthen the economy, secure the seafood supply chain, and make American-grown seafood more accessible and affordable.

The campaign includes releasing a fact sheet about aquaculture, producing social media assets, and running targeted advertisements. SATS has placed digital ads in Washington D.C.-focused publications Politico and Axios.

Earlier efforts by SATS included sending representatives from the seafood industry to Washington D.C. in May to engage with lawmakers. Companies such as Cargill, Innovasea, JBS Foods USA, Merck Animal Health, and Zeigler Bros participated in the initiative.

SATS has previously supported the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act, which aims to create national standards for offshore aquaculture and simplify the regulatory process. The coalition has also endorsed NOAA Fisheries' National Seafood Strategy Implementation Plan, unveiled in October, which emphasises developing a science-based regulatory framework for offshore fish farming.

"This plan outlines critical steps that the agency is taking to support growth of an American aquaculture sector," Winters said. "Until a clear and efficient regulatory permitting process is put in place, the U.S. will continue to miss out on the significant economic, environmental and food security benefits that offshore aquaculture would provide."

-      SeafoodSource