Aquaculture is playing a greater role in global food production, and the United States wants a bigger piece of the action.
“Eighty-four percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported, and half of that is farmed product,” said Larry Robinson, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s assistant secretary, during a press briefing held in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. “We need to do better than that.”
Aquaculture’s potential to increase the country’s domestic food supply is just one reason behind NOAA’s national aquaculture policy, a draft of which was released on Wednesday. Expected to be finalized within a year, the policy is designed to guide the agency’s activities in regards to fish farming and provide a national approach to sustainable aquaculture that compliments wild fisheries.
Another reason behind the policy is that it could help reduce the United States’ seafood trade deficit. Seafood is one of the biggest natural resources contributing to the trade deficit, which sits at USD 9 billion annually.
“An increase in the U.S. supply of healthy seafood will create jobs, spur innovation in technology and help restore depleted species in marine habitats,” said Robinson. “Aquaculture can significantly contribute to the economy of coastal communities, but only if done right.”
While NOAA said it is working hard to rebuild the country’s wild fish populations, it recognized that sustainable fisheries alone will not close the seafood trade gap.
