Open Ocean Finfish Impoundment (photo: Dane Klinger, Oregon State University)
Open ocean aquaculture is considered the future of sustainable seafood production by its proponents. However, experience with large-scale offshore finfish aquaculture has raised a number of serious concerns including disease, pollution, and excessive harvest of forage fish to feed these fish farms—to name three.
NOAA has published Notice of Intent to Prepare Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Gulf of Mexico and Southern California Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. These Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements seeks to assess the impacts of identifying one or more Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Federal Waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Southern California.
The Notice of Intent initiates a formal 60-day public scoping period for the programmatic environmental impact statement that will close on July 22 for Southern California and August 1, 2022 for the Gulf of Mexico. During this time, NOAA is seeking public comments to inform the scope and content of the programmatic environmental impact statement.
Concerned anglers are encouraged to engage in the programmatic scoping process. Public comments may be submitted in writing. Information and instructions on how to submit comments can be found as follows
Southern California Aquaculture Opportunity Area PEIS (Deadline: July 22)
Gulf of Mexico AOA Aquaculture Opportunity Area PEIS (Deadline August 1)