Over 50 signatories urge US politicians to take forward legislation enabling marine aquaculture in federal waters.
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The US seafood industry coalition Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) is urging U.S. politicians to drive forward marine aquaculture in U.S. federal waters.
In a letter addressed to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, and signed by over 50 representatives from the American aquaculture and seafood sectors, SATS outlined the potential of offshore aquaculture to enhance food security, nutrition, and economic resilience in US communities, and asked the committee to give serious consideration to three key aquaculture bills.
"The undersigned organizations write to express support for sustainable and science-based marine aquaculture in U.S. federal waters to increase production of healthful, sustainable and affordable seafood in our local communities," the letter states.
"Offshore aquaculture is one of the fastest growing, sustainable forms of food production in the world and has the unique potential to improve American food security and nutrition, enhance coastal resilience, create quality jobs, help restore species and habitats, and ensure that seafood (both wild-caught and farmed) continues to be an important part of the global food supply," it continues.
The coalition is urging the committee to consider three bills aimed at advancing aquaculture:
H.R. 4013: Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act.
H.R. 5944: Science-based Equitable Aquaculture Food (SEAfood) Act.
H.R. 1461: Coastal Seaweed Farm Act.
A total of 56 organizations and individuals signed the letter. In addition to SATS itself, signatories included feed companies Cargill and Skretting, aquatech firms Aquabyte, Innovasea, and Tidal, fish farming companies Blue Ocean Mariculture and Forever Oceans, and aquaculture investors Hatch Blue and Aqua-Spark, represented by co-founder Amy Novogratz.
The SATS letter cites statistics showing that the U.S. ranks 17th in global seafood production, importing about 80% of its seafood, with over 50% being farm-raised. With growing demand, SATS argues, wild capture fisheries alone cannot sustainably meet this need.
The coalition argues that expanding aquaculture will ensure a steady supply of local seafood, create jobs, and boost the economy of coastal communities, while alleviating pressure on wild fisheries and reducing the seafood industry's carbon footprint.
SATS also writes that through advances in science and technology, the environmental impact of offshore aquaculture is minimized, making it in their view "one of the most sustainable forms of protein production".