For many years – decades, really - progress towards a permitting framework for aquaculture in U.S. Federal waters was stymied by entrenched resistance from a broad axis of environmental NGOs, who saw offshore aquaculture as a threat to ocean ecosystems. Now, however, there is realization among science-guided eNGOs that offshore aquaculture – when done right – can provide nutritious, delicious animal protein with minimal local ecosystem impacts, and fewer global impacts than other animal proteins. The key is to do it right.
The Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act now represents a bold partnership of industry, academic and environmental interests, that could allow offshore aquaculture in US Federal waters to move forward, albeit with caveats and precautions. This legislation would mandate that NOAA permit ‘demonstration’ offshore farms – at commercial scale. MARA also includes obligations for 3rd-party monitoring, to ensure offshore operations are responsibly managed, and requires the results be made widely available. This would hopefully catalyze industry expansion, leading to investment, jobs, some relief of the USA’s $20 billion seafood trade deficit, support for working waterfronts, and greater U.S. seafood consumption (with attendant public health benefits).
There are still, however, well-funded anti-aquaculture activist groups who continue to ignore the science, and adamantly oppose any and all offshore aquaculture. This perpetuates America’s dependence on imported seafood of questionable quality and environmental impact, slows innovation and development of new technologies, limits U.S. job growth, and – by deterring Americans from eating healthy seafood - leads to more U.S. heart disease and early deaths.
Ocean Era, Inc. believes that we have a moral obligation to ‘onshore’ seafood production to the U.S.; and the least-impactful, most scalable way to do this is … offshore. To this end, we are pursuing permits for two offshore projects – one for a commercial fish-and-macroalgae farm, offshore of `Ewa Beach, on O`ahu, HI; and one for Velella Epsilon, a demonstration net pen with a single, small cohort of red drum, to be sited 40 nm offshore of Sarasota, FL. This presentation will review progress – incremental as it has been – on the requisite permits for both projects. Velella Epsilon permits have faced repeated appeals by anti-aquaculture activist groups – most recently insisting that the project be compelled to monitor microplastics.
Yes, this is frivolous. Unfortunately, it is also effective in slowing the permit process, hindering our project’s progress, and discouraging other potential industry entrants.
Our aspiration – our hope - is that MARA provides a mandate to expand pioneering of this nascent industry, so that we can demonstrate offshore farming’s abundant benefits. We are most grateful for the robust support of our industry, academic and eNGO partners in Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) and the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA). Please support these efforts when, where, and however you can.