April 16, 2015 — After more than a decade of delays, the government is moving toward allowing the sale of U.S.-raised organic fish and shellfish. But don't expect it in the grocery store anytime soon.
The Agriculture Department says it will propose standards for the farmed organic fish this year. That means the seafood could be available in as few as two years – but only if USDA moves quickly to complete the rules and seafood companies decide to embrace them.
Organic seafood would be welcome news for the increasing number of organic shoppers – and for retailers that have profited from their higher prices. It also could help the U.S. farmed fish industry find a premium as it struggles to compete against cheaper imports.
Among the seafood that is commonly farm-raised in the United States and would be covered: salmon, tilapia, catfish, shrimp and mollusks such as mussels, oysters and clams.
The United States is "trying to play catch-up on organic aquaculture," says Miles McEvoy, who heads up USDA's organic program. The European Union and Canada, along with other countries, have been exporting their own organic products to the United States.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald