DURHAM, N.H. — Seafood consumption in the U.S. has risen to more than 16 pounds per person a year. Yet most of the fish and shellfish we eat are not "home grown." Imported seafood—much of it from aquaculture—now supplies more than 70 percent of the seafood eaten by Americans.

Aquaculture legislation pending before the U.S. Congress and recent reports by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission all acknowledge the growing importance of domestic marine aquaculture for seafood production. Our nation's extensive federal waters, which generally begin at 3 miles off the coast and reach to 200 miles offshore, have potential to reduce our dependence on seafood imports. However, a major stumbling block to offshore aquaculture in the United States is the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework that ensures sustainable and economically efficient practices.

In response to a need for a comprehensive regulatory framework for open ocean aquaculture, the Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy at the University of Delaware has recently published a new study: "Recommendations for an Operational Framework for Offshore Aquaculture in U.S. Federal Waters."

The 118-page report provides guiding principles and specific provisions for the leasing and permitting of aquaculture facilities, site planning and assessment, potential environmental ramifications and steps to mitigate them, and proposed monitoring strategies for facilities raising native fish, shellfish, and seaweed. The policy study was funded by the National Sea Grant College Program in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Department of Commerce.

You can download the report now: http://darc.cms.udel.edu/sgeez/sgeez2final.pdf

Or, purchase a printed report from the University of Delaware Marine Public Education Office at (302) 831-8086, smhocken@udel.edu.