WASHINGTON — New federal legislation seeks to expand U.S. offshore fish farming but not all environmental advocates agree the bill is good for the health of our oceans.
The Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act would promote commercial-scale aquaculture research to study the viability and impact of large-scale fisheries. Aquaculture is a major industry in Virginia, which is a national leader in oyster farming.
Bill Walton, professor of marine science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, said smaller fisheries cannot keep up with demand, so looking into responsible aquaculture will be key.
“It’s clear that, globally, the amount of seafood that we’re getting from the ocean from fisheries has leveled off, but the population of the world is growing,” Walton explained. “Where are we going to get that extra food? Globally, it’s clear that is going to be from aquaculture.”
The bill has opposition from some environmental advocates. Groups like Don’t Cage Our Oceans argued the bill would open the floodgates for the equivalent of factory farms in our oceans, spreading disease and threatening wild fish.
They also argued the legislation would hand over control of the seafood supply to multinational corporations, to the detriment of local fishing communities. But other groups, like the Environmental Defense Fund, said the bill’s “thoughtful and measured” approach prioritizes community and environmental health.
Walton stressed it is important small fisheries feel supported but it would not hurt to look into sustainable, larger-scale aquaculture.
“We want to support those. We want them to be there,” Walton asserted. “But there’s a limitation on how much small farms can grow and how many jobs they can provide. I think it’s worth considering, what are pathways to having larger-scale aquaculture that still meet the standards of what we’d expect sustainable aquaculture to be in the United States?”
A Virginia Tech study found aquaculture generates more than $1 billion in economic activity each year and supports more than 7,000 jobs.
