January 21, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Thinking of becoming a shellfish farmer? The Interagency Working Group on Aquaculture, led by NOAA Fisheries, released a new guide that provides information to help shellfish growers navigate the permit process in the United States.
This guide is one of several tools being developed by federal agencies to support more efficient permitting processes for shellfish aquaculture and to bolster wild and cultured shellfish populations in coastal waters.
Shellfish aquaculture is an important and growing industry in the United States. It provides a source of domestic seafood, creates jobs, helps to restore habitats and depleted wild populations, and provides ecosystem services such as improvement of water quality. In addition to this guide, multiple federal initiatives are addressing Administration priorities relating to shellfish aquaculture. This includes NOAA's National Shellfish Initiative, which aims to increase shellfish populations in our nation's coastal waters through sustainable commercial production and restoration activities, and related state shellfish initiatives in which we participate.