Recognizing the suite of economic, environmental, food safety, and food security benefits provided by domestic aquaculture, the President has increased the fiscal year 2014 request for aquaculture research funding at NOAA.

NOAA plays a multi-faceted role in supporting sustainable marine aquaculture through funding cutting-edge research, developing federal policy and regulation, conducting outreach, and developing international partnerships.  The NOAA Fisheries Office of Aquaculture coordinates and leads efforts to carry out the Department of Commerce and NOAA National Aquaculture Policies in cooperation with NOAA Fisheries’ Science Centers and Regional Offices, the Office of Atmospheric Research’s National Sea Grant College Program, and the National Ocean Service.  

In fiscal year 2013, $5.6 million was allotted for all aquaculture activities at NOAA.  For 2014, the President has requested an increase of $1.1 million.  Half this increase will be used to support NOAA’s National Shellfish Initiative by expanding research with federal and state agencies, tribes, and the shellfish industry to increase production of wild and cultured shellfish in the Pacific Northwest, California, and New England.  

The other half of the increase will be used to further NOAA’s efforts to develop tools for environmentally-sound siting and management for aquaculture operations. These tools will help coastal managers to better predict, minimize, and monitor environmental effects of aquaculture and will allow NOAA to continue developing new aquaculture feeds using alternative ingredients such as soy and fish processing trimmings to replace fishmeal and fish oil.  These tools will be important to guide sustainable development of aquaculture in the United States. [Source: NOAA]