The U.S. Department of Commerce has put forward a new plan to establish deep-sea fish farms in Alaska that has many residents of the state up in arms.
The plan calls for increasing the country’s aquaculture production by “help[ing] it grow faster by reducing regulatory burden and driving aquaculture research.”
On 5 September, Timothy Gallaudet, the department’s assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, hosted a town hall-style listening session in Juneau, Alaska, to consider opposition to the proposal, according to the Juneau Empire.
Alaska currently has a ban on all fish farming, but the plan calls for deep-sea fish farms for finfish to be built beyond state jurisdiction, which applies only to waters three miles offshore.
Gallaudet said that the plan was part of a larger initiative to “grow the American ‘blue economy,’” a phrase which is applied to sectors of the economy that relate to the ocean, such as aquaculture and fishing.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has stated on numerous occasions and in multiple arenas that it has been trying to reduce the seafood trade deficit and establish a “free, fair and reciprocal trade policy.” The proposed establishment of the Alaskan deep-sea farms is another step in this direction, in addition to the tariffs levied on China, Gallaudet told attendees of the listening session.
Attendees of the criticized the plan, including Frances Leach, director of the United Fishermen of Alaska.
“We are very concerned about the aquaculture activities,” Leach said, according to the Empire.
Chris Oliver, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries and former director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, who also attended the meeting, addressed concerns about the potential impact of finfish aquaculture in Alaska.
“In terms of finfish, I think we’re talking about very contained operations, as opposed to hatchery operations,” he said.
Photo courtesy of the Homer News
