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COMMERCE TEAM TELLS AQUACULTURISTS: "HERE WE COME!"

April 8, 1999 — While many agencies of Commerce have been supporting or involved in various aspects of aquaculture for many years, even decades, there is a new interest to ensure the development of an economically and environmentally sustainable aquaculture industry. An ever expanding population increasing the demand for seafood, the serious state of many of our commercial fishery species, the growing trade deficit in seafood imports, concern over the potential environmental consequences of intense aquaculture practices, social and economic conditions to fishing communities and other issues have resulted in a Commerce-wide effort to look at the problems and opportunities associated with a fast-growth industry.

This effort resulted in the development of a NOAA-wide aquaculture policy approved by Dr. Baker in February of 1999, a soon-to-be approved Commerce policy, draft marine aquaculture legislation, the inclusion of aquaculture in NOAA's Build Sustainable Fisheries 5-year initiative, a promise of $9 million to NOAA developed as part of the President's National Oceans Initiative (Monterey, 5/98) and other proposed activities such as workshops, joint demonstration projects and RFP's encouraging focused and collaborative research activities.

Aquaculture America ‘99 Staffers: Matt Borgia (NOAA), Cherylynn Peters (EDA), Ben Mieremet and Dr. Jim
McVey (NOAA)

In late 1997, Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Terry D. Garcia, requested that the Office of Sustainable Development and Intergovernmental Affairs establish a task force to look into aquaculture and determine how aquaculture needs to be addressed given the agencies wide-spectrum of interests. A NOAA task force soon became a Commerce Task Force and the degree of intra- departmental cooperation has become significant.

In an effort to show the magnitude of the collective Commerce activities associated with aquaculture, a new display was created and demonstrated at the January 28-30, 1999 Aquaculture America Conference in Tampa, FL. Staff members from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Office of Sustainable Development and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Economic Development Administration and the Minority Business and Development Agency had the opportunity to describe on-going activities during one of the sessions as well as answer questions at the exhibitors' booth.

 

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