Senators make new bid to enable open ocean fish farming in United States
Bill incorporates key provisions from previous proposed Acts
Two United States senators have introduced a bipartisan bill to advance the development of commercial-scale open ocean aquaculture farms in US federal waters.
The Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act builds on years of bipartisan legislative effort, incorporating key provisions from both the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture, or AQUAA Act, and the Science-based Equitable Aquaculture Food, or SEAfood Act, which were both introduced in previous congresses but timed out.
It has been introduced by Hawai'i Democratic senator Brian Schatz and Roger Wicker, a Republican senator from Mississippi. Schatz and Wicker previously sponsored the AQUAA Act, along with Florida representative Marco Rubio, who is now President Donald Trump's Secretary of State (foreign minister).
The MARA Act (S.2586) would:
- Establish an assessment programme to evaluate commercial-scale demonstration projects.
- Create a dedicated Office of Aquaculture within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service to coordinate federal permitting for a US aquaculture program.
- Set clear timelines and establish a consolidated environmental review process during the permitting approval process.
- Authorise grant funding to modernise American working waterfront communities, including infrastructure that benefits both commercial fishing and aquaculture.
- Invest in workforce training and curriculum development to train the next generation of aquaculture professionals.
Action needed
“The bipartisan consensus is clear: congressional action is needed to build a robust American open ocean aquaculture industry, and the MARA Act lays the groundwork towards that goal,” said Drue Banta Winters, campaign manager of Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS).
“We thank Senators Schatz and Wicker for their leadership in introducing legislation that will allow us to demonstrate how we can grow more of our own seafood here at home - and do so responsibly and sustainably, just like it’s already being done today in countries abroad and in our own state waters.”
Banta Winters said a growing bipartisan consensus in Congress to advance open ocean aquaculture in the US comes with strong support from leading environmental groups, seafood industry businesses, chefs, and academics.
“With today’s advanced technology, the responsible farming of seafood can sustainably complement our nation’s wild-capture harvesting to meet the growing demand for fresh, American-raised seafood, create new job opportunities and encourage investment in working waterfront communities.”
A 'nearly impossible' task
SATS said that duplicative and costly environmental reviews by multiple federal agencies and a lack of a clear permitting framework has made it nearly impossible for fish farmers to establish aquaculture operations in US federal waters.
No commercial scale finfish farm has successfully navigated the US federal regulatory process to date, though some progress has recently been made. In May this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency awarded a permit for Ocean Era’s Velella Epsilon demonstration project, allowing a single net pen in open ocean waters off Florida’s coast.
This small project - holding just 20,000 fish and only 1% the size of a commercial farm - has been mired in the permitting process for more than seven years, with even more hurdles still ahead before the project is fully approved to enter the water.
