NOAA Fisheries is soliciting public recommendations on where it should establish aquaculture opportunity areas (AOA) in the country as it begins considering a wider swath of regions.
AOAs are a carry over priority from U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term, when he directed NOAA Fisheries to identify areas that would be a good fit for developing commercial aquaculture operations.
In the six years since, NOAA Fisheries has worked to identify potential AOAs in the Gulf of Mexico – referred to as the Gulf of America by the current administration – off the coast of California, and off the coast of Alaska. In September 2025, the agency announced the identification of 13 AOAs in federal waters – 10 in Southern California and another three in Texas. In February 2026, the government published an atlas of 77 locations in Alaska state waters that could serve as AOAs.
“We looked for areas appropriate for aquaculture to grow. By appropriate, that means areas that are appropriate socially – so staying out of traditional fishing routes and shipping lanes. You’re not going to put a farm on top of an oil rig,” NOAA Office of Aquaculture Director Danielle Blacklock said in February, touting NOAAs work on AOAs. “In addition, we looked at areas appropriate environmentally and technologically so not in essential fish habitat or where endangered species are breeding. And then also appropriate economically.”
While past efforts have been focused on the Gulf of Mexico, California, and Alaska, the agency is now seeking public input on where AOAs could be located anywhere in the country.
“NOAA requests data, comments, views, information, analysis, or suggestions from the public to support the identification of AOAs in U.S. waters, including geographic areas of focus,” the agency said in a 30 July post. “The public input provided in response to this RFI will inform NOAA as it works with other federal agencies, regional fishery management councils, and in coordination with state, jurisdictional and tribal governments to identify AOAs nationally.”
Comments are being accepted through 14 September.
