NOAA Fisheries has proposed 14 locations along the southern coast of California and in the Gulf of Mexico to establish aquaculture opportunity areas (AOAs), which are locations that have been evaluated as suitable sites for future aquaculture development.
"With climate change posing risks to America’s food security, aquaculture offers a pathway to grow climate resilience,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit said in a statement. “Identifying areas suitable for sustainable aquaculture is a forward-looking step toward strengthening climate-smart food systems."
NOAA Fisheries began work on evaluating potential AOAs in 2020, following an executive order from then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who charged the agency with establishing 10 AOAs by 2025.
On 15 November, NOAA Fisheries released two draft programmatic environmental impact statements proposing 10 AOAs in Eouthern California – eight in the Santa Barbara Channel and two in Santa Monica Bay – three AOAs in Texas, and one AOA in Louisiana. Each site is between 500 acres and 2,000 acres.
NOAA Fisheries previously identified 19 potential AOAs in federal waters along the U.S. coasts in Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico.
The agency said it invested in “19 new scientific products on topics including biosecurity and disease, genetic risk, engineering, economics, social vulnerability, and the well-being of coastal communities” to support its efforts.
“Since its inception, the AOA process has been rooted in science and informed by public input,” NOAA Office of Aquaculture Director Danielle Blacklock said in a statement. “NOAA has made significant efforts to engage constituents each step of the way by soliciting comments and shaping our actions to best serve the American public.”
The agency is accepting public comments on the draft documents from 22 November through 20 February 2025. NOAA Fisheries will also host virtual public listening sessions to gather additional public comments.
The government is also working to identify AOAs in Alaska.
