US could licence offshore ocean aquaculture

09/06/05 According to a usinfo.state.gov release, the Secretary of Commerce could issue licenses for commercial offshore aquaculture operations under terms of legislation the Bush administration sent to the U.S. Congress June 7.

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez called ocean aquaculture "underutilized" by the United States and said the proposals would allow permits for such enterprises in some 11.5 million square kilometers of open ocean within U.S. territorial waters.

The release stated that Gutierrez and officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the proposals at a Washington news conference, saying that the United States has lagged behind other nations in developing this industry with its potential to meet protein needs of growing populations.

A NOAA press release says various interested parties will have a voice in the development of guidelines and regulations for offshore aquaculture. Research conducted by NOAA in several offshore areas over the last several years indicates that the enterprises can be both productive and environmentally sound.

The legislation is part of the administration's U.S. Ocean Action Plan, an outgrowth from the work of an independent advisory panel that spent several years studying ocean policy, releasing its report last year.