The Trump administration plans to offer up to 21,000 acres of federal waters off Southern California and Texas for large-scale commercial aquaculture, according to a NOAA proposal for 13 “aquaculture opportunity areas” in the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
The initiative — which could provide a boon to U.S. seafood production while carrying risks for traditional fishing economies and ocean environments — shifts into high gear a Trump administration policy priority embodied in two executive orders, one signed by President Donald Trump during his first term and another this spring.
The Biden administration continued the work of studying possible aquaculture projects, including releasing two draft environmental impact statements. The NOAA documents released Friday are the final environmental reviews.
Danielle Blacklock, director of NOAA’s Office of Aquaculture, said in a statement that the designated offshore aquaculture areas, which some environmentalists have likened to potential offshore seafood industrial parks, will “leverage NOAA’s cutting-edge science and marine planning to identify spaces where aquaculture can grow sustainably.”
