The seafood industry, environmentalists and researchers are aligned in pressing Congress to speed the permitting and development of open-ocean aquaculture trials.
In a Tuesday letter to leaders of both the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee, supporters of S. 5286, the “Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act,” said agencies should permit pilot projects that “generate the robust, real-world data” necessary to evaluate aquaculture activities in federal oceans without harming water quality or marine ecosystems.
“The MARA Act will equip federal and state agencies with the evidence needed to establish high environmental standards and ensure that any growth of U.S. aquaculture proceeds responsibly and sustainably,” states the letter with 140 signatures.
Bill supporters include the trade association National Fisheries Institute, as well as Cargill, the American Soybean Association, Sysco, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance.
