On 23 February, the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture announced Blue Ocean Mariculture, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Lusamerica Seafood, Ocean Era, Pacific6, and Alphabet’s Project Tidal joined the CSA's 10 founding environmental groups and 21 award-winning chefs to advocate for an "equitable and science-based approach to sustainable aquaculture across the U.S."
The addition of the groups, the coalition said, will provide new insight and perspectives for the CSA to develop strong aquaculture practices.
“Getting aquaculture right in the U.S. starts with bringing everyone to the table. We all want to see sustainable, safe, and healthy seafood on the menu and that means growing it here at home with a regulatory framework that protects the ocean and strengthens our communities," said co-founding CSA member and Minorities in Aquaculture Founder Imani Black. "Creating a growing network that includes multiple industry representatives in the beginning of the process only strengthens the future, greater impact of sustainable aquaculture on U.S. communities.”
The CSA was formed in 2022, with 10 founding member organizations: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Minorities in Aquaculture, The Marine Mammal Center, Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE), Lowcountry Oyster Co., Blue Dot Sea Farms, AquaSpark, Monterey Bay Seaweeds, Neptune Sustainable Ocean Snacks, and Postelsia.
The new CSA members have joined the colaition at a "critical" time for the aquaculture sector, it said, as the U.S. Congress begins to consider legislation like the Science-backed Equitable Aquaculture Food (SEAfood) Act that "will lay the foundation for a sustainabile aquaculture economy."
"Blue Ocean Mariculture has spent the last 18 years demonstrating that proper site selection, choosing the right species, and constant monitoring and evaluation of the environment surrounding net pens are critical when developing an offshore fish farm,” Blue Ocean Mariculture CEO Dick Jones said. “We are excited to become members of the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture, so the learnings from our success can become a model for others to emulate. We look forward to moving the conversation forward so that science-based decision making can drive the aquaculture industry into the future."
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute CEO Don Kent said the coalition will be an important part of meeting the growing demand for food while keeping environmental impacts low.
“Only by taking the existing best practices and applying them in a thoughtful and measured manner can we hope to develop the protocols for an economically and environmentally sustainable industry,” Kent said.
Photo courtesy of Blue Ocean Mariculture
