WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) introduced the National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2009. This legislation establishes the first legally-binding national standards for how fish farming should be conducted in the open-ocean. There are currently no overarching policies or laws governing how this method of fish farming should be governed in Americas territorial waters, generally beyond three miles from the coastline. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said it will offer its own national aquaculture policy early in 2010.
Its time to set a standard for open-ocean aquaculture, and the National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act is an important step. The legislation offers a science-based precautionary approach including overarching environmental, socioeconomic, and liability standards, explained George Leonard, Ocean Conservancys aquaculture program director. We need a strong national framework for marine aquaculture before expansion occurs in our federal ocean waters, and Congresswoman Capps is to be commended for showing leadership on this important national issue.
My legislation represents a huge step forward in our efforts to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for offshore aquaculture development that balances environmental, social, and economic concerns, said Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA). I believe that by working together we can create a common sense framework that ensures that offshore aquaculture development proceeds in an ecologically sustainable fashion. We have a good model for doing this in my home state of California, which recently enacted landmark legislation on this topic. I believe this type of balanced, comprehensive and precautionary approach will work in California, and my legislation seeks to accomplish similar goals at the national level.
Highlights of the legislation include:
Ensuring aquaculture development in federal waters adopts the precautionary approach as its guiding principle and establishes a priority for the protection of wild fish, associated habitats, and functional marine ecosystems.
Articulating legally-binding national standards that ensure that offshore aquaculture poses minimal risks to fisheries, marine wildlife, and the ecosystems on which they depend, protects the long-term public interest in healthy marine ecosystems, and incorporates appropriate public input.
Anticipating and preventing cumulative and secondary impacts from expansion of a marine aquaculture industry.
Integrating offshore aquaculture development into the nations broader national ocean policy, including the Administrations move toward ecosystem-based management and marine spatial planning.
Rendering null-and-void all regulatory structures previously approved (Gulf aquaculture FMP).
In January of 2009, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council developed the first federal permitting program for open ocean aquaculture, setting a dangerous precedent. The plan was later approved by NOAA.
The National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2009 is just the type of legislation our country needs to prevent the patchwork of regulation that went into effect when the Gulf aquaculture plan was approved. The health of the ocean and the coastal economy is critical and the dangerous precedent set by the Gulf Councils aquaculture plan is a threat to all coastlines, from New England to the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific coast, concluded Leonard.
Ocean Conservancy has been working on strong environmental standards for aquaculture during the past two Congresses and through state legislatures. Californias state guidelines, adopted in 2006, serve as a model for the kind of national legislation that Ocean Conservancy envisions. Californias bill and the federal legislation introduced today will ensure that offshore aquaculture develops in an orderly manner, incorporates appropriate public input, protects the long-term public interest in healthy marine ecosystems, and poses minimal risks to fisheries, marine wildlife, and the ecosystems on which they depend.
Additional seafood facts:
Americans consumed a total of 4.9 billion pounds of seafood in 2007, slightly less than the 4.9 billion pounds in 2006. The U.S. continues to be ranked the third largest consumer of fish and shellfish, behind China and Japan.
The nation imports about 84% of its seafood, a steadily increasing proportion. Imports accounted for only 63% of U.S. seafood just a decade ago.
At least half of the seafood imported to the US is farmed. Aquaculture production in the rest of the world has expanded dramatically in the last 30 years and now supplies half of world seafood demand.
Americas aquaculture industry currently meets only 5-7% of domestic demand for seafood, mostly catfish. Marine products such as farmed oysters, clams, mussels and salmon supply 1.5% of American seafood demand.
Source: Ocean Conservancy