Opinion Editorial

Deputy Secretary of Commerce John J. Sullivan
Opinion Editorial, Seattle Post Intelligencer
”Beef Up U.S. Fish Farming”

In the global market for seafood, the United States, which had been a pioneer in sustainable aquaculture, has fallen alarmingly behind. Today 84 percent of our seafood is imported and half of those imports are farmed-raised. It doesn't need to be this way.

Anyone who enjoys seafood can see shrimp from Vietnam, tilapia from China, salmon from Chile.

To meet rising global demand, aquaculture facilities that culture shellfish and raise fish and other seafood inshore and offshore are now in many parts of the world.

We have been outpaced by other countries in developing those facilities. In fact, U.S. aquaculture is less than 2 percent of the $70 billion worldwide industry, with China accounting for 70 percent of global production.

It is now time to build America's aquaculture capabilities. This is one reason why I am in Seattle Wednesday, because this region is a top American producer of seafood products and has been involved in aquaculture for more than a century.

The consequences of falling behind have been dramatic. America's seafood trade deficit was more than $9 billion last year and our leadership in developing aquaculture technologies and techniques continue to deteriorate. We can do better.

According to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the United States has many competitive advantages in marine aquaculture, including millions of square miles of ocean waters, from arctic to tropical. Our country is blessed with the largest available space in the world to raise nearly every saltwater fish and shellfish species imaginable.

As America has become the world's agricultural breadbasket, it is now time to turn our deficit in sustainable aquaculture into a surplus.

According to the NOAA report, the U.S. aquaculture industry has been held back by a lack of clear rules and regulations, particularly for federal ocean waters. Companies have been unwilling to invest until the government establishes ground rules for participants.

Congress now has an opportunity to make a positive difference at minimal taxpayer expense.

President Bush has introduced legislation that will establish a framework for America's ocean aquaculture industry. I am hopeful Congress will take action on this important proposal soon. Passage will allow for many of the report's most important recommendations to be implemented.

This could be the boost for jobs and economic growth in many communities across the country, including here in Washington where thousands of jobs already are tied to aquaculture.

By setting uniform environmental standards, we will become more effective stewards of water resources and the wild seafood stocks that rely on them. By raising more of our seafood domestically, we will enhance our ability to certify and control the safety of the seafood we consume.

For all these reasons I will be discussing aquaculture as I visit NOAA research facilities in the Seattle area, such as the Manchester Research Station, which is at the forefront of research on captive rearing, disease control and hatchery technology. I will be talking to NOAA's aquaculture scientists and engineers who are developing integrated systems for production of important species of fish such as sablefish, rockfish and lingcod.

The United States has a choice to make. We can strengthen a growing industry where we have many advantages, or stand on the sidelines and watch our seafood deficit get larger as our global leadership continues to slip away.

At a time when we need to do everything we can to bring quality jobs to our communities and increase our nation's competitiveness, we have the opportunity to make a positive difference to our environment and our economy. The time for aquaculture reform is now.