AQUACULTURE

ASA Position

ASA supports enactment of offshore aquaculture legislation that will create a permitting and regulatory system leading to development of a domestic offshore aquaculture industry. This legislation will create U.S. jobs and meet growing demand for a safe and sustainable source of seafood.  In particular, the legislation is important for expanding federal research and addressing nutrition, environmental, and sustainability concerns.

Background

Aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production in the world, and most of this growth is offshore and overseas. Seafood imports are the second biggest contributor to the U.S. trade deficit -- almost $8 billion per year. More than 80% of the seafood Americans consume is imported, and at least half of those imports are farmed seafood. Major aquaculture-exporting nations include China, India, and Vietnam.

ASA supports research on plant-based feeds to position soy as a more economically viable and environmentally friendly alternative to fish meal and fish oil. Specifically, ASA supports research that will functionalize the soybean genome sequence to increase yield in order to fulfill demand for protein and oil, and to explore new processing technologies that will meet the demands of these markets.

Unlike herbivorous or omnivorous fish species, many carnivorous marine species do not accept or tolerate large amounts of vegetable protein in their feed. The soybean and feed industries have developed a strategic research plan which will use the most advanced genomics tools to identify factors in plants which limit their use in diets for these carnivorous species.

Since 1992, soybean farmers have funded market development activities for soy-based aquaculture diets, primarily in China. This program has increased demand for soybean meal for farm-raised fish from almost zero to an estimated 4 million metric tons annually, contributing to China’s emergence as the largest market for U.S. soybean exports and soy’s role as the largest U.S. agricultural export.

Offshore aquaculture legislation introduced in the House Natural Resources Committee (HR 4363) would provide authority to allow commercial aquaculture operations in federal waters, from 3 to 200 miles off the coast. Absent this authority, regulatory uncertainty is widely acknowledged as the major barrier to the development of aquaculture in federal waters. It is also imperative that legislation include a strong research authority title and funding for a serious research program focused on better understanding fish nutrition and the benefits of replacing fishmeal and oil. ASA strongly supports passage of offshore aquaculture legislation in the 111^th Congress.