New push to net support for US aquaculture law

Aquaculture industry coalition Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) is hosting a two-day “legislative fly-in” on Capitol Hill in Washington today and tomorrow, during which seafood industry leaders and allies will meet with members of Congress and staff to highlight the benefits of expanding fish farming into United States federal waters.

“Federal legislation that supports open ocean aquaculture provides the US a chance to prove that we can sustainably produce more seafood in our own ocean waters,” said SATS campaign manager Drue Banta Winters. 

“Expanding US aquaculture will help increase the amount of American-raised seafood coming into our ports, spur investment in coastal communities and create new jobs and opportunities in congressional districts across the country as the seafood supply chain grows. With strong bipartisan momentum growing for open ocean aquaculture, we are hopeful that congressional lawmakers will recognise the need to pass legislation to support growth of US aquaculture.”

US is being left behind

SATS argues that although the US already harvests the sustainable limit of wild-caught seafood, it ranks only 18th in seafood production globally because it has relatively few fish farms. Consequently, it imports the majority of seafood its people consume, half from fish farms in other countries.

To date, no commercial-scale finfish farms currently operate in US federal waters. SATS says duplicative and costly environmental reviews by multiple federal agencies and a lack of a clear permitting framework have made it nearly impossible for fish farmers to establish US operations.

The bipartisan Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025 (S.2586), introduced in July 2025 by senators Brian Schatz (Democrat, Hawaii) and Roger Wicker (Republican, Mississippi), would advance the development of commercial-scale open ocean aquaculture in US federal waters.

The bill builds on years of prior legislative efforts, incorporating key provisions from the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture, or AQUAA Act, and has gained bipartisan support, as well as backing from leading environmental groups, seafood industry leaders, award-winning chefs, and academics.

New markets for crops

SATS points that as well as spurring investment in portside infrastructure, revitalising working waterfronts, and creating new jobs across the seafood supply chain, expanding American aquaculture would also create new markets for American farmers who grow key ingredients used in plant-based fish feeds, such as soybeans, corn, peas, wheat, barley, rice, canola, and flaxseed.

Organisations participating in the SATS fly-in include agriculture heavyweight and aquafeed producer Cargill, along with Cuna del Mar, Fortune Fish & Gourmet, Innovasea, Manna Fish Farms, Sysco, Zeigler, the American Soybean Association, National Fisheries Institute, and Soy Aquaculture Alliance.

Tyler Sclodnick, principal scientist and aquaculture science services lead at fish farming supplier Innovasea, said: “Aquaculture is more sustainable than ever thanks to emerging technology. AI-powered feed cameras, real-time sensors, and advanced modelling systems allow farmers to optimise feeding, monitor fish health, and reduce water and sediment impacts. This improves both the farm’s financial performance and reduces environmental interactions.

“With the world’s largest domestic seafood market, abundant water resources, and skilled personnel, the US is well equipped to expand open ocean aquaculture, and the MARA Act provides the pathway to make that growth possible.” 

Full support from fisheries

Lisa Wallenda Picard, chief exceutive of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), said: “NFI and its members fully support expanding aquaculture in the US. As a nation we have been woefully behind in aquaculture investment and production because of excessive regulatory barriers that have stood in the way of vital growth. The ‘Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act’ will help get commercial open ocean aquaculture started so it can benefit not only jobs but the health of everyday Americans.”