Do we really want offshore aquaculture in the US?

Will there ever be an offshore aquaculture industry in the United States? That could very well depend on how badly the US seafood sector wants one.

The saga of establishing a robust offshore aquaculture industry in US federal waters dates back to 2004 when the Bush administration, acting on recommendations from the US Commission on Ocean Policy, unveiled the “President’s Ocean Action Plan,” which expressly called for national legislation to establish aquaculture in federal waters.

Here we are more than a decade and a half later and, well, there isn’t much offshore aquaculture happening in the United States.