Change is afoot on Capitol Hill. On Jan. 20, Democrats will pick up at least six additional seats in the Senate and at least 18 in the House, and President-elect Barack Obama will take over the White House. So what will come of the push to enact a regulatory framework for open-ocean aquaculture in federal waters under a Democratic-led Congress and the Obama administration?
In early 2007 the Bush administration submitted the National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007 to Congress, and West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall II, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced the bill. It has undergone several rewrites since then but has never been subject to congressional hearings.
In July, the Bush administration proposed a rule authorizing the Minerals Management Service to issue leases, easements and rights of way for fish farms in federal waters, a measure many conservationists and lawmakers, including Rahall, oppose.
Unfortunately, the effort to federally regulate open-ocean aquaculture hit the wall this year. But it's not dead in the water, even though a new administration and Congress are on the way in.
"A lot of what [Obama] says at the podium could be interpreted as solid support for open-ocean aquaculture. He talks about building 'green-collar' industries, and what could be more environmentally sound and economically productive than open-ocean aquaculture?" says Neil Sims, president of Kona Blue Water Farms, which raises kampachi, a yellowtail relative, in pens off Hawaii's Big Island.
"I'm hopeful with this new administration that there will be a renewed push for this legislation and that it's workable," adds Sims. "It's a great opportunity, and I'm excited by it."
The expression "green-collar" jobs, which are blue-collar jobs involving environmentally friendly products and services, was tossed around frequently by both Obama and Arizona Sen. John McCain during the presidential campaign. In February, Obama even pledged to spend $150 billion to create 5 million such jobs over the next 10 years.
Politicians talk a lot about green-collar industries, and, as Sims says, open-ocean aquaculture screams green collar. So why not establish a much-needed regulatory framework to ensure open-ocean fish farms operate in an environmentally conscious, and economically viable, manner?
Politicians' time would be much better spent doing this than devising more ways to spend taxpayer money.
