Offshore Aquaculture
A Promising Solution To Sustainable Seafood
Florida Sea Grant works to educate stakeholders and the public about offshore aquaculture, and the progress, goals, and impacts of its current projects.
Offshore aquaculture, also known as open-ocean aquaculture is an emerging approach to fish farming. As the demand for seafood proteins rise, offshore aquaculture looks to be promising solution that has minimal negative impacts on our environment and oceans. To this end, Florida Sea Grant and UF/IFAS have been conducting research to determine the feasibility of offshore aquaculture of marine finfish in the U.S., particularly in the Gulf of Mexico.
NOAA’s Office of Aquaculture supports the goal of a well-informed public by investing approximately $20 million annually to support aquaculture, research, education, and engagement. Florida Sea Grant manages the resulting Florida-based projects and supports collaborative, multidisciplinary research partnerships involving academia, private industry, and federal partners.
Pioneering Offshore Aquaculture
In The
Gulf of Mexico
To communicate the current state of knowledge about offshore aquaculture, Florida Sea Grant has partnered with Ocean Era on the Velella Epsilon Project, a pioneering offshore aquaculture project in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. This project will deploy and operate a single, small-scale demonstration fish net pen to collect data to inform policymakers, the public, and fishing industry interests about offshore aquaculture while documenting the process for future applicants to follow. Read about activities since the project’s inception below.
Offshore Aquaculture Literacy Resources
Florida Sea Grant has gathered a variety of pertinent resources and information for those interested about the current state of offshore aquaculture knowledge.
- Marine Cage Culture and the Environment: Twenty-First Century Science Informing a Sustainable Industry
NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS - 10-Year NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Vision
- NOAA Fisheries: Guide To Permitting Marine Aquaculture in the U.S.
- Environmental Defense Fund: American Voters’ Views on Aquaculture
- Congressional Research Service: U.S. Offshore Aquaculture Regulation and Development
- A National Strategic Plan For Aquaculture Research 2021-2025
Report by the Science Planning Task Force Subcommittee on Aquaculture Committee of the Environment of the National Science & Technology Council - Sectoral Insights on the Future of Aquaculture in the U.S.
Meridian Institute and Ocean Strategies - An Aquaculture Opportunity Area Atlas for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS - Social License to Operate in the Aquaculture Industry: A Community-Focused Framework
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS - NOAA 2023-2028 Aquaculture Strategic Plan
- Future of Food From the Sea
- Mapping the Global Potential for Marine Aquaculture
- Opportunities For U.S. Marine Finfish Aquaculture
- Marine Spatial Planning Makes Room for Offshore Aquaculture in Crowded Coastal Waters
- Offshore Aquaculture in the United States: Untapped Potential in Need of Smart Policy
- Refuting Marine Aquaculture Myths, Unfounded Criticisms and Assumptions
- Offshore Aquaculture: Spatial Planning Principles for Sustainable Development
- Environmental Performance of Marine Net-Pen Aquaculture in the United States
- Competitiveness of U.S. Aquaculture Within the Current U.S. Regulatory Framework
- Toward an Environmentally Responsible Offshore Aquaculture Industry in the United States: Ecological Risks, Remedies, and Knowledge Gaps
- Policy Considerations for Marine Aquaculture in the United States
- Offshore Aquaculture: I Know It When I See It
- Aquaculture Fishery Management Plan FAQs Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
- Smart Growth in Aquaculture Infographic The Nature Conservancy
- Guidance Document for Leasing Sovereignty Submerged Lands for Marine Finfish Net Pen Aquaculture Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Aquaculture
- Aquarium of the Pacific’s Federal Regulations for Marine Aquaculture in the United States
- The Opportunity of Aquaculture for Coastal Communities National Centers For Coastal Ocean Science
