Tell NOAA: Protect ocean ecosystems from floating factory farms!

Ocean ecosystems are fragile and delicate. They’re filled with sea turtles, dolphins, and coral. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is putting these waters in the hands of polluting Agribusiness.

There's still time to act -- NOAA is required to consider public input before it finalizes this giveaway to dirty industries. Will you send a message to protect our oceans?

Comments

Dear Mr. Cosgrove,

Thank you for the opportunity to submit these comments regarding the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on impacts, issues, and concerns over the types of projects that are eligible for support through National Marine Fisheries Service’s Saltonstall-Kennedy Research and Development Program (S-K Program). I write to voice my opposition to the inclusion of marine aquaculture as a category of projects eligible for assistance.

The S-K Program is meant to protect and support sustainable marine fishing communities. Due to countless environmental and socio-economic problems, marine aquaculture – especially finfish operations – should not be included as part of this program. Industrial aquaculture is both unsustainable and harmful to our marine fisheries. These underwater feedlots are horrible for the environment and public health. They can cause massive, catastrophic fish spills -- like the release of more than 263, 000 Atlantic salmon from a floating feedlot in Washington State in 2017 -- which spread disease, risk genetic degradation, and create unnecessary competition with our already struggling native fish stocks. They attract and harm predators and other wildlife. These industrial fish farms directly discharge a whole host of pollutants into public waters aside from spilling farmed fish, including anti-foulants, excess feed, and untreated fish waste. Moreover, they are corporate-driven, which only means higher profits at the expense of sustainable operations and quality products. In fact, these factory farms are leading to the demise of our wild fishing communities and related industries by placing downward pressure on fishing prices and creating competition for limited marine space.

To include offshore aquaculture operations as part of a program meant to support sustainable fisheries is not only arbitrary and capricious as noted above, but it is also an unlawful interpretation of the term “fisheries” under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. A federal court recently ruled that aquaculture is not “fishing” under this law, and therefore it should not be lumped together with programs meant to support fishing activities, such as the S-K Program.

As part of the PEIS process, I urge you to remove aquaculture from the S-K Program so that our sustainable fishing communities and associated industries can truly grow and thrive through enhanced taxpayer support.

Thank you,
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