More on H.R. 4363

The text of the National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2009 is now available online. Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) introduced the bill, which would set up a regulatory framework to permit offshore fish farms in federal waters, on Dec. 16. The bill's intent, according to Rep. Capps, is "to preserve the integrity of our fragile ocean ecosystems, meet the increasing consumer demand for seafood, reduce stress on wild fish populations, and create jobs here at home."

However, not everyone agrees. On Monday, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter issued a blistering response to the bill, calling it "unnecessary and not a step toward protecting our oceans and fishermen’s jobs from harms associated with ocean fish farming."

Judging by Hauter's comments, Food & Water Watch seems 100% against any expansion of the aquaculture industry offshore, instead encouraging the development of land-based, recirculating systems. This steadfast position promises legislative and legal battles ahead. I've requested an interview with Hauter to better understand Food & Water Watch's position.

For now, I'll republish the majority of Hauter's statement here:

"While Representative Capps may intend legislation as a safeguard against a piecemeal approach to developing and regulating ocean aquaculture, the ultimate effect is of streamlining the process for the industry to better establish itself in the U.S.

"Ocean fish farming can have devastating effects on the environment and fishing jobs and produce lower-quality fish for consumers. Environmental problems can include escapement of fish, pollution of surrounding waters with excess feed and fish waste, and transmission of parasites and diseases to wild populations. These problems will not be fully mitigated by the bill, which enforces very limited liability for damages to natural resources.

"Economically, fish farms can undercut the prices that local fishermen receive for their catch, further threatening an already vulnerable job market. This industry is not a solution to the question of how to meet the growing demand for seafood.

"While many proponents of the bill cite the undesirable situation of a piecemeal approach in regulating the industry as the reason the bill is necessary, in reality, there is no existing industry to regulate. Hawaii has two open ocean fish farms in operation, but they are located withinstate waters, so will not be affected by this legislation. A permit applicant in California for what would have been the first offshore fish farm in U.S. federal waters recently pulled out of the drawn-out permitting process.

"Rather than continue with legislation to regulate (and thus allow) ocean fish farming, Representative Capps should instead support legislation that would prevent the growth of this industry. To supplement U.S. seafood production and increase green jobs, a much more sustainable approach is necessary. Representative Capps should support the exploration of aquaculture techniques that have fewer negative environmental and economic impacts, such as land-based, recirculating systems, also called RAS.

"RAS are land-based, scalable, closed-loop facilities that retain and treat water within the system, eliminate the threat of escapes, reduce the discharge of waste and the need for chemicals or antibiotics, and can be developed in communities throughout the country. There is growing support and demand for RAS rather than using outdated ocean fish farming methods that can come with serious problems."

What do you think of H.R. 4363?

What do you think about Food & Water Watch's position that open ocean aquaculture should be avoided in favor of encouraging land-based, recirculating systems?

Capps' Offshore Aquaculture bill

Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) last night introduced H.R. 4363, otherwise known as the National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2009.

The piece of legislation is designed to set up a federal regulatory framework to permit fish farms in federal waters, which often begin three miles off the coast. Currently, no national regulatory framework to permit such an operation exists, arguably stifling any investment in nascent offshore aquaculture technology in this country.

"Developing these guidelines has the potential to preserve the integrity of our fragile ocean ecosystems, meet the increasing consumer demand for seafood, reduce stress on wild fish populations, and create jobs here at home," Rep. Capps said in a press release from her office, which is embedded below.

The key provisions of the legislation include:

• Establishing a clear, streamlined regulatory process for offshore aquaculture with specific provisions and permit terms to protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities
  

• Requiring coordinated, regional programmatic environmental impact statements to provide regulatory certainty, ensure environmental protection for sensitive marine areas, and reduce conflicts among competing uses of the marine environment
  

• Authorizing new funds for research to provide the crucial feedback needed for adaptive, environmentally-sound management of this new use of offshore waters

Click "Fullscreen" for a closer look.

A late night aquaculture bill...

The Pew Environment Group this afternoon issued a statement in response to a piece of aquaculture legislation introduced late last night in the House of Representatives by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA). The bill in question, H.R. 4363, seeks to set up a federal regulatory framework to permit offshore aquaculture operations.

Christopher Mann, senior officer at the Pew Environment Group, had this to say about the bill:

"The Pew Environment Group applauds Representative Capps for introducing legislation that would establish strong national standards for offshore fish farms. We have seen worldwide that poorly managed marine aquaculture causes substantial harm to fish, wildlife and their habitat.

There is not an overarching policy governing aquaculture development in federal marine waters. If the industry wants to expand into waters three to 200 miles offshore, we need a regulatory system specifically designed to address the environmental risks of fish farming and protect the health of marine ecosystems. This bill is an important first step in creating the necessary framework."

The bill is not yet available online. I'll be following this piece of legislation and will report back when I know more.

Chile hopes for salmon farming rebound

The Chilean government wants to grow the country's aquaculture exports to $4 billion by 2015, according to a report from FIS. That's an ambitious goal considering the disease-induced crisis that hit the country's salmon farming industry -- far and away the largest part of the Chile's aquaculture sector -- in 2008.

The first case of Infectious Salmon Anemia, a very contagious disease fatal to the fish, but harmless to humans, was reported last year and quickly decimated the salmon farming industry in Chile. The culprit? Fish farms packed too tightly together, offering the ISA virus a field day among the fish.

Chile’s salmon exports totaled $2.4 billion in 2008. But officials expect exports will be down by 30% this year. And, because fewer fish were sown this year, exports are expected to decrease even further in 2010, FIS reported.

Hugo Lavados, Chile's Minister of Economy, used a rather morbid analogy to temper expectations of the ambitious goal. “If we do not reach the 4 billion dollars goal; no one is going to slit open their wrists, but we should apply the maximum effort possible.”

Read the FIS article >>

The first MicroPod is deployed in Guaymas

Though I had to fly back to Maine before Pesquera Delly was ready to deploy their first MicroPod, Gustavo Valdez was nice enough to send me a few photos of last week's historic event.

 The Delly V, one of Pesquera Delly's shrimp trawlers, tows a MicroPod to its site off the coast of San Carlos