U.S. Guidelines for Aquaculture Proposed: Public comments through April 11

On February 9, the federal government issued the nation’s first policy guidelines for aquaculture, opening the way for farm-raised seafood to be produced in federal waters as long as the operations do not either threaten wild fish stocks or saltwater ecosystems.

The guidelines by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) present general standards that regional fishery councils will be required to use when they propose fish farms. In 2009, farmed fish and shellfish surpassed wild-caught stocks as the major source of seafood worldwide. Aquaculture has been growing rapidly worldwide

NOAA estimates that 84 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is now imported, and half of that is produced through aquaculture. Shellfish aquaculture is common in state waters out to three miles offshore. Finfish farmed in the United States are typically freshwater plant-eating fish like tilapia.

Environmentalists and research- ers have criticized marine aquaculture operations in other countries saying these facilities contribute to pollution and disease among wild fish. Farmed fish like salmon typically feed on pellets made from smaller ocean fish, which opponents say contributes to declines in wild fish stocks.

George H. Leonard, director of the aquaculture program at the Ocean Conservancy, called the draft guidelines “a step in the right direction.” He said that piecemeal aquaculture standards like those for the gulf (Gulf of Mexico) could undermine American efforts to produce sustainably farmed seafood.

In 2009, NOAA allowed an aquaculture plan proposed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Manage- ment Council to proceed. Federal officials said then that in the absence of a federal policy, they had no grounds to block it.

With wild stocks threatened globally, NOAA has stated that aquaculture in the U.S. and elsewhere was likely to have a growing share of the world market for fish.

The guidelines recommend more research on “alternate feeds” that would substitute for wild fish in the diets of farmed fish and might reduce the impact on the ecosystem.

A ban on stocking fish farms with non-native fish is included until it can be demonstrated that their presence will not cause undue harm to wild species.

The public may comment on the aquaculture guidelines through April 11.