Offshore Aquaculture: Building on Policy,

Technology and Research

Presented at

Aquaculture America 2006
February 16, 2006
Las Vegas, NV

As one of the Federal agencies exploring options to create domestic seafood supply to meet the growing demand for all seafood products, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hosted an expert panel focused on offshore aquaculture in February, at the World Aquaculture Society’s annual Aquaculture America conference. Convened by the NOAA Aquaculture Program, the panel included a variety of experts who addressed the regulatory, environmental and technological issues of offshore aquaculture, along with economic challenges and opportunities and current research, especially stock enhancement. The presentations from the NOAA panel are available below.

For years, NOAA and its partners have worked with coastal communities interested in exploring shellfish and finfish aquaculture as another method to produce seafood, provide jobs and revenues, and use existing seafood processing facilities. As it develops, offshore aquaculture will be one component of the broader NOAA program, which includes coastal and onshore shellfish and finfish aquaculture, as well as enhancement (hatchery) activities that support commercial and recreational fishing and endangered species restoration. To learn more, click here.

“Offshore” refers to the federally managed area of the ocean off the coasts of the United States and its territories.  This begins where state jurisdiction ends (for most states, that’s 3 nautical miles) and extends all the way out to the limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nautical miles in most places).  The U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone covers an area equal to about 3.4 million square miles. The offshore area of the ocean has great potential for sustainable aquaculture of all kinds. First, there are fewer competing uses further from shore.  Second, the deeper water and stronger water flows make it a more desirable location for environmental reasons.  There are several pilot and demonstration projects underway in the United States focused on open ocean aquaculture. To learn more, click here.

Meeting Location

Rivera Hotel and Conference Center
2901 Las Vegas Blvd., South
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Agenda (Use your browsers back button to return to this page after linking to a presentation.)

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Offshore Aquaculture: Building on Policy, Technology and Research

Presentations

§         Marine Aquaculture: Building on Policy, Technology and Research (pdf, 931kb) - Dr. Michael Rubino, NOAA Aquaculture Program

§         The National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2005 (pdf, 266kb) – Susan Bunsick, NOAA Aquaculture Program

§         Update on U.S. Offshore Activities (pdf, 5.4Mb) - Dr. Richard Langan, Cooperative Institute for New England Mariculture and Fisheries, University of New Hampshire

§         Hatcheries and Stock Enhancement Research: Key Drivers for a Robust Offshore Program (pdf, 2.1Mb) – Paula Sylvia, Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute

§         What the Future Holds for Plant-based Aquafeeds (pdf, 340kb) – Dr. Diane Bellis, AgSource, Inc.

§         An International Perspective: Offshore Aquaculture Around the Globe (pdf, 1Mb) – Dr. John Forster, Forster Consulting

§         The Role of Offshore Aquaculture in Integrated Coastal Management (pdf, 1.9Mb) – Dr. Jim McVey, NOAA Sea Grant

§         The Economic Considerations of Offshore Aquaculture in the United States (pdf, 470kb) - Dr. Gunnar Knapp, University of Alaska-Anchorage

Additional Links and Information

NOAA’s National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2005 webpage

Backgrounder on the National Offshore Aquaculture Act

The National Offshore Aquaculture Act Frequently Asked Questions

U.S. Ocean Action Plan - Aquaculture Actions

U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - Aquaculture Recommendations

Backgrounder on U.S. Offshore Aquaculture Demonstration Projects

Univ. of NH Open Ocean Aquaculture Globe symbol indicating offsite link

University of Miami Aquaculture Program Globe symbol indicating offsite link

University of Hawaii Open Ocean Aquaculture Project Globe symbol indicating offsite link

Marine Aquaculture Frequently Asked Questions

Aquaculture Quick Facts

NOAA Sea Grant

Global Aquaculture Statistics

U.S. Domestic Aquaculture Statistics

Map of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone

For more information, contact Kate Naughten, Outreach Coordinator for the NOAA Aquaculture Program.