Vision for U.S. Aquaculture: To
assist in the development of a highly competitive, sustainable aquaculture industry
in the United States that will meet growing consumer demand for aquatic foods
and products that are of high quality, safe, competitively priced and are produced
in an environmentally responsible manner with maximum opportunity for profitability
in all sectors of the industry.
DOC Aquaculture Mission: A mission of the Department
of Commerce (DOC) is to create sustainable economic opportunities in aquaculture
in a manner that is environmentally sound and consistent with applicable laws
and Administration policy. This mission complements and is an integral part
of the Department's effort to restore and maintain sustainable wild stock fisheries
in order to maximize the benefits of U.S. coastal resources for its citizens.
Aquaculture in the United States can make major contributions to the local,regional,
and national economies by providing employment in a new and diverse industry
and by creating business opportunities both here and abroad. The United States
can lead the world in the development of aquaculture technologies and advance
international guidelines for the industry in order to maintain a healthy environment.
Definition: Aquaculture is defined as the propagation
and rearing of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected aquatic environments
for any commercial, recreational, or public purpose.
DOC Aquaculture Objectives: The DOC and its agencies,
working in partnership with USDA, DOI, other Federal agencies, state, local,
and tribal governments, environmental organizations, industry, academia, and
other stakeholders at the national and regional levels will create a business
climate and technological base for industry to develop environmentally sound
aquaculture. The specific objectives by the year 2025 are to:
Increase the value of domestic aquaculture production from
the present $900 million annually to $5 billion, which will help offset the
$6-billion annual U.S. trade deficit in seafood.
Increase the number of jobs in aquaculture from the present
estimate of 180,000 to 600,000.
Develop aquaculture technologies and methods both to improve
production and safeguard the environment, emphasizing where possible those
technologies that employ pollution prevention rather than pollution control
techniques.
Develop a code of conduct for responsible aquaculture by
the year 2002 and have 100% compliance with the code in Federal waters.
Double the value of non-food products and services produced
by aquaculture in order to increase industry diversification.
Enhance depleted wild fish stocks through aquaculture, thereby
increasing the value of both commercial and recreational landings and improving
the health of our aquatic resources.
Increase exports of U.S. aquaculture goods and services
from the present value of $500 million annually to $2.5 billion.
Policy Implementation: To achieve these objectives, the
Department of Commerce and its agencies, working in partnership with USDA, DOI,
other Federal agencies, state, local,and tribal governments, environmental organizations,
industry, academia,and other stakeholders at the national and regional levels
will:
Work with stakeholders to develop a set of aquaculture guidelines
for DOC aquaculture activities by the end of the year 2000 and ensure that
all subsequent Departmental activities conform to these guidelines.
Conduct research and help develop guidelines for an environmentally
sound and sustainable aquaculture industry and promote domestic and international
compliance with the guidelines.
Consistent with these guidelines, conduct basic and applied
research to domesticate additional species, giving preference to high-value
species and to those that are least likely to create problems for the environment.
Deliver U.S. government aquaculture services, assistance,
and research to state and local governments and industry in a comprehensive
and coordinated manner.
Hold national and regional meetings with aquaculture constituents
to inventory present resources and issues and set priorities for the future.
Develop an efficient and transparent permitting process for
aquaculture.
Accelerate the implementation of new aquaculture production
methods by developing both pilot scale and demonstration projects where necessary.
Develop effective enhancement strategies, where appropriate,
for aquatic species to help wild stock fisheries recover and to provide additional
recreational opportunities.
Integrate aquaculture development with wild fish stock management
and environmental stewardship to maximize the value of our aquatic resources
for the benefit of the nation.
Minimize the adverse impacts of aquaculture on protected
species through proper design and siting of facilities and the application
of appropriate deterrent technologies.
Provide financial, marketing, and trade assistance to the
aquaculture industry.
Provide extension, training, and education programs to ensure
a competitive, safe industry.
Provide an information clearinghouse and information dissemination
system to facilitate achieving aquaculture objectives.
