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On October 30th, NOAA released their 10-Year Plan for Marine Aquaculture. Serving as a framework for the coming decade of aquaculture, the 10-Year Plan sets the stage for the regulatory actions necessary for large-scale growth in U.S. marine aquaculture. NOAA foresees policies and guidelines for coastal aquaculture in place by the end of this year, and by the end of 2009 for offshore farming in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In the Plan’s opening statement, Bill Hogarth, NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, said that the plan will “guide NOAA as we work to establish marine aquaculture as an integral part of the U.S. seafood industry.” NOAA began drafting the plan in 2005, at the bequest of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC), which advises Carlos Gutierrez, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, on all living marine resource matters under their jurisdiction. The finalized plan calls for finance, research, development and regulation of marine aquaculture in the U.S. NOAA hopes that marine aquaculture production will bring another one million mt to the seafood table by 2025. It’s projected that 590,000 mt of this will come from the establishment of new finfish farms. GOALS Goal 1: A comprehensive regulatory program for environmentally sustainable marine aquaculture. By the close of 2007, NOAA hopes to have developed policies and guidelines that will allow for the reviewing of proposed marine aquaculture facilities. These guidelines, and this reviewing process, will assess the impacts of each facility on the surrounding ecosystem. The 10-Year Plan strongly urges immediate passage of the National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007, which will provide the regulatory framework necessary for farming the EEZ, three to 12 miles offshore. NOAA plans on developing a functioning permit process within two years of that legislation. Goal 2: Development of commercial marine aquaculture and replenishment of wild stocks. NOAA will first develop a “national aquaculture research plan,” which will coordinate studies concerning aquaculture and how to best maximize public benefit. This research plan will guide NOAA as it seeks partnerships and investments from outside agencies (e.g. USDA, Economic Development Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Small Business Administration, Farm Credit Administration, National Science Foundation, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Financing research and development is critical, and for that NOAA needs a larger research infrastructure. In what is referred to in the Plan as the “Major New Initiative,” NOAA will “Identify possibilities for a major infusion of government investment in aquaculture.” Goal 3: Public understanding of marine aquaculture. NOAA plans to “Conduct a continuing interactive dialogue” in order to address issues with all those related to aquaculture, from stakeholders to processors to marketers to fishermen. Also, they will maintain a website, provide information, and develop a plan that will “engage interested stakeholders.” Goal 4: Increased collaboration and cooperation with international partners. NOAA will implement a plan that will allow them to learn from foreign research, data and experience, in order to “enhance the development of responsible marine aquaculture.” Challenges NOAA itself was not designed to govern an aquaculture sector in the nation’s fisheries and must evolve quickly in order to do so. Key among their stated challenges in the aquaculture endeavor is budget, and therefore staff and infrastructure. Financing—legislative backing—is needed in order for the agency to carry out the demands placed on it by the 10-Year Plan. NOAA has to deal with legislative and regulatory demands. The plan reads: “The program is currently operating under statutory authorities that, for the most part, were not provided specifically with the regulation of aquaculture in mind. The challenge is to address aquaculture growth in the marine environment within the context of NOAA environmental mandates.” Outcomes Depending on funding and federal support, NOAA’s projection for the future of the U.S. aquaculture industry includes: 1) The implementation of an interagency permitting system, which will allow for aquaculture growth, and simultaneously protect the ocean resource. 2) The establishment and maintenance of “regional ecosystem management initiatives.” 3) The establishment of offshore farms in the EEZ. 4) Establishment of hatcheries for juvenile fish and shellfish production for commercial aquaculture and “aquaculture-based rebuilding” efforts. 5) Determine which marine fish will be suitable for aquaculture. 6) Growth and restoration of coastal shellfish operations, and expansion of offshore shellfish applications. 7) More and better research on farming/processing techniques “for use in nutritional, health, and other industrial products.” 8) Advance research on aquaculture-based wild stock rebuilding efforts. 9) Develop “world-class” research and development facilities. 10) Determine other social benefits derived from aquaculture. “Achievement of many of these outcomes,” according to the Plan, “depends on actions by the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal Government to enact new authorities for NOAA and to provide additional financial resources.” The Benefits Using statistics based in the labor-intensive salmon and catfish industries, NOAA projects that for every one million mt of aquaculture production, some 75,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created. Further, NOAA says, the increase in business will create more resilient and diverse coastal communities. Other benefits that NOAA lists are: “improved health for Americans” due to an increase in seafood supply; more global business opportunities for the grain and feed industry; a larger local food supply; habitat and species restoration; and “significant expansion of a research, development, and extension infrastructure that supports aquaculture development…” The Future While NOAA’s 10-Year Plan outlines their vision of an aquaculture-strong seafood industry, there is still a myriad of unknowns. A complex chain of events, from legislation to implementation, has been set into motion; and after years of research, NOAA still explains a dire need for more and better knowledge. Simultaneous to the need for more research is the rush to establish a globally competitive fish farm industry. What our coasts and offshore zones will look like amidst the burgeoning of fish farms is anyone’s guess, but what is certain is that a seafood revolution is underway. |
