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Groups sue over offshore aquaculture plan

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By SeafoodSource staff
06 October, 2009 -  Washington, D.C., group Food and Water Watch, in conjunction with several other organizations, recently filed suit against the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service over a plan to allow offshore fish farming in the Gulf of Mexico.

F&WW said the suit is because the plan and the process by which it was developed and enacted violated existing federal laws. The group said the agencies did not take required actions in allowing the plan to be finalized and do not have the authority to permit open-ocean aquaculture.

"These massive operations primarily benefit private corporations and can harm consumers, coastal communities and the environment," said Wenonah Hauter, F&WW executive director. "Rather than taking a stand, the agencies chose to stay silent, allowing the illegal plan to simply become effective."

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the federal agencies have the authority to regulate fish farming and fishing — but setting up a permit system for ocean aquaculture facilities is outside their respective jurisdictions, according to F&WW.

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Comments & Ratings

Added 10/7/2009 9:42:33 AM

Like the crocus coming up in the Spring, this group sues anything with "aquaculture" in the name. Don't all permitting structures benefit private corporations by facilitating commerce? How can high-quality, sustainably produced seafood, grown right here in the US, harm consumers. Ms. Hauter and the rest of the folks at F&WW need to get a life. There are enough threats to the ocean without inventing ones.

Clifford A. Goudey

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