Aquaculture Magazine reports:
The agency responsible for the management of Unites States (US) national marine resources, NOAA, released some days ago two draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements for Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico that bring them one step closer to identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. The public comments on the draft can be submitted online from November 22 through February 20.
One of the missions of the organization is to foster ocean sustainability while facilitating domestic aquaculture growth and to identify Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. These areas were evaluated for their potential environmental, economic, and social suitability to support multiple commercial aquaculture operations. This process is rooted in science and public engagement that will help the US plan for aquaculture development.
Southern California
In Southern California, NOAA experts identified up to ten proposed Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. Eight proposed Aquaculture Opportunity Areas are in the Santa Barbara Channel and two are in Santa Monica Bay, ranging in size from 500 to 2,000 acres each. The total of the proposed Aquaculture Opportunity areas amounts to 16,500 acres in Federal waters that are potentially suitable to support all kinds of aquaculture, they reported.
The public comments on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Southern California can be submitted online from November 22 (2024) through February 20 (2025). There will be public listening session hosted by NOAA’s Aquaculture Program on January 23 and January 28, 2025. To find more information, the interested can reach the NOAA website.
Gulf of Mexico
In the other hand, the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA experts identified four proposed Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. One proposed Aquaculture Opportunity Area is off the coast of Louisiana and three are off the coast of Texas, ranging in size from 500 to 2,000 acres each. The total of the proposed Aquaculture Opportunity Areas amounts to 6,500 acres in Federal waters that are potentially suitable for all kinds of aquaculture.
In this case, the public comments on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Gulf of Mexico can be also submitted online from November 22, 2024 through February 20, 2025. The public listening session hosted by NOAA’s Aquaculture Program on will be on December 17 (2024), January 15 and February 13 (2025).
The two Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements will be open for public comment from November 22, 2024 through February 20, 2025.
Potential suitability for commercial aquaculture
For NOAA, the Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOA) are defined geographic area that has been evaluated to determine its potential suitability for commercial aquaculture. NOAA uses a combination of scientific analysis and public engagement to identify areas within the AOA that may be environmentally, socially, and economically appropriate for commercial aquaculture.
NOAA Fisheries is developing programmatic environmental impact statements to consider identifying one or more AOAs in US federal waters of Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico.
NOAA has directives to preserve ocean sustainability and facilitate domestic aquaculture in the US through the National Aquaculture Act of 1980, the NOAA Marine Aquaculture Policy, and Executive Order 13921, Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth.
The organization has a variety of proven science-based tools and strategies that can support these directives and help communities thoughtfully consider how and where to sustainably develop offshore aquaculture that will complement wild-capture fisheries, working waterfronts, and our nation’s seafood processing and distribution infrastructure.
Identifying AOAs is an opportunity to use best available global science-based guidance on sustainable aquaculture management, and support the “triple bottom line” of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. This approach has been refined and utilized widely within states and by other countries with robust, sustainable aquaculture sectors.
Considering NOAA-trust resources and stakeholder uses of a defined area will help to encourage the sustainable growth of aquaculture by siting aquaculture farms in ways that minimize impacts to those natural resources and reduce user conflicts while maximizing public input in the AOA identification process.
Aquaculture Program of NOAA is already moving forward to meet the mandates set by the White House and recently announced the selection of southern California and the Gulf of Mexico as the first regions for focused evaluation to find AOAs. This selection does not mean the entire regions are opportunity areas. Instead, the selection allows NOAA to deploy our resources to investigate the two regions.
The exact AOA locations will be identified based on best-available science, including data-driven siting analysis using hundreds of types of data on ocean conditions and uses such as existing fishing locations. Stakeholder input is also essential and these AOAs are being shaped through a public process.