Saving Seafood

Viewpoint: Why the fight for Washington’s net pens matter

July 24, 2025 — In January, a sweeping and controversial regulatory decision by the Washington State Board of Natural Resources stunned a unique and diverse coalition of pro-science advocates working to preserve native-species, net-pen aquaculture in Washington state.

The coalition opposing the ban included local aquaculture companies and members of the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA), current fisheries scientists from institutions like the University of Washington, Washington State University, and the University of Idaho, as well as former NOAA and state agency scientists, local Tribes, and dozens of regional farmers and aquaculture workers. Together, they urged the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to pursue a science-based, transparent approach in addressing concerns regarding net-pen aquaculture.

Instead, the Washington DNR Board voted to adopt a rule permanently banning all net-pen farming of native fish species on state-managed aquatic lands. In response, NWAA has filed a legal challenge seeking to overturn the rule, asserting that DNR exceeded its statutory authority and conducted a procedurally flawed process lacking in scientific integrity and public accountability.

Read the full article at the Aquaculture North America

MAINE: Maine passes bevy of aquaculture, waterfront bills

July 11, 2025 — Lawmakers from the U.S. state of Maine have passed multiple pieces of legislation designed to improve aquaculture operations in the state, including protections for aquaculture operations from nuisance complaints, revisions to aquaculture lease renewals, and the development of a Working Waterfront Infrastructure Engineer Corps.

All five bills, which have now become law, were introduced by Maine Representative Morgan Rielly (D-Westbrook).

LD 1595 would extend the protections Maine grants commercial fishers from nuisance complaints to aquaculture companies, ensuring those operations are not stymied by frivolous complaints about noise or smells.

“I have heard time and again that coastal landowners who don’t want to hear, see, or smell aquaculture operations unfairly file nuisance complaints against our aquaculture workers, which can put a halt to the work and food production Mainers rely on,” Rielly said in a release. “They deserve the same protections as our commercial fishermen, and I am glad that they will soon have those protections.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Aquaculture sector could generate up to 22 million jobs by 2050 with USD 1.5 trillion investment

June 30, 2025 — The World Bank and World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) claim the aquaculture sector is primed for massive growth over the next 25 years, but the level of investment in the industry will determine just how much it will grow.

“To realize aquaculture’s full potential, we must shift toward practices that are not only productive, but also environmentally responsible, socially inclusive, and economically viable,” World Bank acting Global Director of the Department of Environment Genevieve Connors said in a release. “This is a call to action – to deepen collaboration, to invest boldly in new aquaculture technologies, and to foster stronger alignment between public and private sectors.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Offshore aquaculture advocates ask US lawmakers to invest USD 42 million in research and development

May 16, 2025 — Advocates for developing offshore aquaculture in U.S. federal waters are asking lawmakers to invest USD 42 million (EUR 37.7 million) to help grow the nation’s aquaculture output.

Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), a coalition of industry stakeholders in offshore aquaculture, sent a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, highlighting the spending it says is necessary to support sustainable development of the aquaculture sector.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Gulf fish farming project at risk as judge pulls nationwide permit

May 2, 2025 — A federal judge repealed a nationwide permit for industrial fish farming off the coasts of Florida and California. Instead, the company leading the project will have to turn to individualized permits.

Ocean Era, a Hawaii-based company, proposed a series of industrial fishnets, including three that would be located roughly 45-miles southwest of Sarasota.

Their proposal predates a President Donald Trump 2020 executive order that initially created these “blanket” permits that could be granted by the Army Corp of Engineers.

With U.S. District Judge Kymberly Evanson revoking the nationwide permit on March 17, Ocean Era would have to turn to individualized permits to create fish farms.

Read the full story at WUWF

Sens. Sullivan, Booker reintroduce Keep Finfish Free Act

May 1, 2025 — Legislation to prohibit federal agencies from issuing permits or taking other action to authorize or facilitate commercial finfish aquaculture operations in the exclusive economic zone was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate on April 30 by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J. and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.

The Keep Finfish Free Act, which would apply to all waters from 3-200 nautical miles offshore, is a step consistent with current Alaska state law, which bans offshore finfish farming in state waters.

“This legislation would ban risky fish farming operations in federal waters that could jeopardize the health of our fish species and undermine Alaska’s coastal fishing communities,” Sullivan said.

Read the full story at The Cordova Times

Aquaculture projects face years of permitting despite Trump’s efforts

April 27, 2025 — Permitting is a costly regulatory hurdle among many U.S. industries with money, time, opportunity and business are all lost to the cumbersome grind of securing the government’s approval.

Consider the seafood industry, which President Donald Trump just threw a life-jacket.

Despite the United States controlling over four million square miles of prime fishing grounds, nearly 90% of seafood consumed domestically is imported, contributing to a trade deficit exceeding $20 billion, according to the executive order.

At the POWERS Summit and Expo hosted by the American Association of Port Authorities, U.S. Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips addressed the financial and operational challenges posed by inconsistent federal permitting processes for aquaculture facilities.

She highlighted that varying enforcement practices by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Endangered Species Act have led to unpredictability and increased costs for aquaculture operators.

Read the full story at The Center Square

Trump’s tariffs and subsequent trade war trigger further unease among aquaculture investors

April 14, 2025 — Elevated economic and political upheaval and the looming threat of tariffs have started hindering investments in the blue food economy, with backers of start-ups finding later-stage funders are edging away from the aquaculture innovation space.

Speaking at the Blue Food Innovation Summit, held in London from 8 to 9 April 2025, Aqua-Spark Chief Portfolio Officer Maria Velkova said there’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty in the aquaculture industry at present – particularly among investors. Such a backdrop tends to make things more difficult, with people becoming increasingly risk-averse and more prone to freezing up.

 Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Dunleavy’s bill to legalize fish farms seen as flaky by many lawmakers, interest groups

February 25, 2025 — A bill by Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowing fish farms in Alaska, which has banned them for the past 35 years, is getting a little bit of misunderstanding and a whole lot of opposition from legislators and interest groups, including some of his closest political allies.

House Bill 111 would allow inland farms for species such as tilapia, catfish and carp — but not for salmon, although some opponents of the bill are focusing on that species in their comments. In response, Dunleavy released a six-minute video on his YouTube channel Monday night defending his proposal.

“This bill does not allow the farming of salmon,” he said at the start of the video. “That is an iconic Alaskan species of fish, the five species of salmon. It also won’t allow Atlantic salmon to be grown in Alaska.”

“It allows mom-and-pop operations, families — whether you’re you’re in a city, you’re in a you’re in on the Kenai Fairbanks Matsu, or remotely — it allows you to legally be able to grow, for example, rainbow trout or Dolly Varden which, right now, there is no commercial fishery on that. There is no competition in terms of competing with our wild-caught salmon. But it will allow people to grow these, these, these fish in livestock tanks in their garage or livestock tanks out back.”

Read the full article at Juneau Empire

Rabobank predicts 2025 to bring aquaculture growth on improved demand, lower input costs

January 3, 2024 — Rabobank’s RaboResearch unit is forecasting an increase in global aquaculture production in 2025, with increases seen in both farmed fish and shrimp volumes.

While increasing tariffs and trade restrictions may bring uncertainty or impede the industry, lower feed prices and rising demand should benefit producers, according to “Global Aquaculture Outlook 2025,” published by Rabobank’s Global Animal Protein Sector team. The publication projects that finfish production will see the most growth, while shrimp – which continues to be affected by low prices – will experience a more modest upturn.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource