US Congress reps team up to back aquaculture
A bipartisan group has been set up in the United States Congress to support the growth of America’s aquaculture sector.
The House Aquaculture
Caucus is co-chaired by Representatives Kat Cammack (Republican-Florida), Ed Case (Democrat-Hawaii), Steven
Palazzo (Republican-Mississippi) and Jimmy Panetta (DemocratCalifornia).
Caucus members include Reps. Salud Carbajal, Jerry Carl, Buddy Carter, Rick Crawford, Scott Franklin, French Hill, Maria Salazar, Abigail Spanberger, and Rob Wittman.
It was established as a resource and forum to educate Members of Congress about the economic opportunities that an expanded US aquaculture industry would provide for congressional districts nationwide.The caucus will also provide policy updates and share initiatives in Congress that will help make American aquaculture more competitive globally.
Congresswoman Cammack said:“Aquaculture should be one of the United States’ priorities as we grow our focus on food security. In Florida, we’ve seen the benefits of aquaculture first hand, breeding, raising, and harvesting shellfish, fish, and aquatic plants in our waters.
“We’ve demonstrated that it’s possible to provide healthy, fresh food that’s produced sustainably at home to support our growing population.The Aquaculture Caucus shares our enthusiasm for pushing these industries and their innovations forward while growing our infrastructure and market domestically.”
Bipartisan legislation, the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture Act (AQUAA) Act, was introduced in November 2021 with the intention of establishing a clear, predictable permitting process for offshore fish farms to encourage more business investments in the US and encourage the industry to grow.