January 12, 2016 — NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Fish farming is contentious, with fishermen and environmentalists warning that new rules supporting it could harm the marine environment and put fishermen out of work.
Federal regulations were issued this week, allowing the farming of fish in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Kathryn Sullivan, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the Gulf rules could spur similar rules in other U.S. waters and help the U.S. meet its seafood demands.
Typically, offshore farming is done by breeding fish in large semi-submersible pens moored to the seafloor. The practice is common in many parts of the world, and Sullivan said the United States has fallen behind. About 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported and more than half of that is farmed, she noted.
She said expanding fish farming has numerous benefits.
“It’s good for the balance of trade. It’s good for the food security of the country,” she said. It could create jobs, she added.
The new rules allow up to 20 fish farms to open in the Gulf and produce 64 million pounds of fish a year. The farms can start applying for 10-year permits starting in February, she said.
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