First Fish Farm Needs EPA Approval

Photo: Sino Feed Extruder

The news comes from Politico Agriculture regarding the first fish farm in the Gulf of Mexico:

FIRST FISH FARM IN THE GULF AWAITS EPA APPROVAL: Ocean Era wants to be the first to raise fish in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, but the aquaculture company is facing resistance from local residents, commercial fisherman and environmental advocates who are worried about the project's potential impact on tourism, native fish species and pollution. Before Ocean Era can move forward with its plan to raise 20,000 alamo jack in chain-link, open water pens 45 miles southwest of Sarasota, Fla., it needs a final permit from the EPA under the Clean Water Act — a draft of which was initially issued in August.

It's unclear how long the EPA will take to make a final decision, said Neil Anthony Sims, founder and CEO of Ocean Era (formerly called Kampachi Farms). The company had to go through the EPA because the regulatory framework for aquaculture that NOAA finalized in 2016 was blocked by legal challenges. A district court ruled that legislation was needed to give new authority to NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. Should the EPA grant Ocean Era a permit, litigation is likely to follow, as well.

Ocean Era's mission is to scale seafood production in an environmentally responsible way, Sims said. The U.S. imports nearly 90 percent of its seafood and public health experts recommend that Americans double their consumption. Sims said the proposed operation in the Gulf would have an immeasurable impact on water quality, based on aquaculture farms tested in Hawaii state waters.

"They are trying to say the pollution will be minimal, but some marine scientists have said studies that EPA relied on are outdated and inadequate," said Neal Schleifer, a longtime resident of Siesta Key, Fla., who is helping organize the opposition. He is particularly concerned that waste from the finfish farm will worsen algae blooms, known as ride tide. The Gulf is also prone to hurricanes, and if a pen breaks, fish could escape and threaten wild stocks.

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