A new development is the aquaculture industry's effort to privatize the oceans for fish farming. "Open ocean aquaculture" is the concept of fish farming between three and 200 miles off the coast. A variety of U.S. government agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and private companies are aggressively pursuing this.
In June 2004, the NOAA proposed legislation that would allow, for the first time, fish farming (aquaculture) in Federal coastal waters. The NOAA is required legally to thoroughly review the potential environmental impacts of offshore aquaculture. But the agency is going forward with its proposal without conducting the environmental assessment as required by law. (See PCC's position on this proposal.)
By locating offshore, fish farming operations could bypass tough state regulations. Offshore fish farming also could pave the way to privatization of the Continental Shelf for other corporate interests such as mining and waste, and an end to public stewardship over the oceans.
According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, there already are experimental offshore fish farms off the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Texas. Fish involved in these projects are high-value species, including flounder, cod, halibut and red snapper.
