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Last month, after an extensive seven-year regulatory review process, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a modified NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit for Ocean Era’s Velella Epsilon project off the Florida coast. This allows Ocean Era and its founder, Neil Anthony Sims, to raise and harvest 20,000 red drum fish approximately 40 miles from Sarasota in Gulf waters, in a single net-pen demonstration.
This is an important step forward in supporting the growth of America’s aquaculture industry. No commercial-scale finfish farm has been able to successfully navigate the U.S. federal regulatory process for open-ocean farming before this, despite the fact up to 85% of the seafood American families eat is still imported and half of that is farm-raised in other countries.
“The two primary purposes of the Velella Epsilon project were to pioneer the permitting pathway for offshore aquaculture in the Gulf, and to demonstrate to the Florida fishing and boating community that offshore aquaculture is something that they will learn to love,” Sims explained. “Offshore aquaculture projects in Kona, Hawaii, La Paz, Mexico, and Panama have all shown that we can produce great-tasting seafood with minimal environmental impact. Offshore aquaculture is perhaps the least impactful of any animal protein production system.”
Responsible farming in our oceans, which is how it will be done in the Gulf, can complement wild-capture harvesting and support our coastal economies to meet the growing demand for fresh, local seafood here at home. Growth of U.S. aquaculture would also create new markets for American farmers of crops that can be used in sustainable fish feed, such as soybeans, corn, and peas. Today’s aquaculture uses the latest science, research, and technology, including artificial intelligence, sophisticated computer modeling, and underwater cameras and robotics, to raise fish in an environmentally sound manner. We can thoughtfully produce our own sustainable seafood right here in the U.S., without harming our ocean waters.
“We as an industry, and as marine biologists and environmentalists, want to see a rigorous regulatory framework for offshore aquaculture,” Sims added. “However, we need to make the permit process less onerous. We have been engaged with federal regulatory agencies for over seven years for this one small demonstration project — a single batch of fish. This experience has thereby demonstrated the deep dysfunction in the process.”
We should be encouraging more investment in American seafood, which is why Stronger America Through Seafood continues to advocate for legislation to establish a clear regulatory pathway for open-ocean aquaculture, to ensure that businesses and investors have a path to get their farms approved. Growing our seafood in deep, offshore waters can provide significant benefits to the U.S. economy and enhance domestic food security.
Guest Contributor: Drue Banta Winters
Campaign Manager, Stronger America Through Seafood
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