Alaska officials most likely could block the development of fish farms in federally managed waters far off the state's shores, a U.S. Commerce Department representative said Tuesday.

But the federal official said it was premature to say that Alaska definitely will have the power to prevent the farms. She said it depends on the final wording of legislation the Commerce Department expects to roll out in coming weeks setting up a "regulatory framework" for aquaculture development in the federal waters, which extend from three to 200 miles offshore.

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