Innovasea, a global leader and innovator in ocean- and land-based aquaculture and a member of Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), applauds the effort to expand offshore aquaculture in U.S. waters via the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today.
“Open ocean aquaculture is vital to producing sustainable seafood, but in the United States it’s been held back by a maze of regulations and governing agencies,” said David Kelly, CEO of Innovasea. “This legislation will establish a fair and predictable regulatory framework that will spur investment, create jobs, protect the environment and give consumers healthier, better-tasting seafood.”
The AQUAA Act – a bipartisan bill filed by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin
Peterson (D-Minn.) and Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) – would establish national standards for sustainable offshore aquaculture and clarify a regulatory pathway for offshore aquaculture in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which will support growth of the domestic offshore aquaculture industry.
Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector in the world, but the U.S. ranks 16th in the production of farm-raised seafood. The lack of a predictable, affordable and efficient permitting process for offshore aquaculture in the U.S. hinders the growth of the industry. Federal action would reverse that trend while protecting wild-capture fisheries and natural resources.
The regulated expansion of domestic aquaculture would benefit communities across the country by stimulating economic growth and creating thousands of new jobs. Increased aquaculture production would also benefit farmers of soybeans, corn and peas – products that would be used to create fish feed, easing pressure on ocean resources while providing a new market for U.S. farmers.
Learn more about the benefits of aquaculture at www.strongerthroughseafood.org/multimedia-center.
