Aquaculture

The NSGLC conducts legal research that increases knowledge of the legal framework governing U.S. aquaculture.

Regulating Direct Seafood Sales

Direct seafood sales contribute to the sustainability of fisheries, aquaculture, and food systems. To help state policy-makers gain a greater understanding of the legal landscape of direct seafood sales, the National Sea Grant Law Center reviewed the laws of the thirty coastal and Great Lakes states to determine what direct sales activities are allowed under commercial fishing and aquaculture permits. The Law Center also examined the licensing of food establishments in each state. This information provides a foundation from which to identify best practices to provide policy support for direct seafood sales and models for regulatory reform.

Comparative Analysis of State Approaches to Regulating Direct Seafood Sales

The Mariculture Nationwide Permits

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is authorized to issue permits under both Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The permitting process applies to many activities, including aquaculture. The NSGLC has prepared an overview of the Corps permitting process and the Nationwide Permits for shellfish, seaweed, and finfish aquaculture.

The Mariculture Nationwide Permits

State Marine Aquaculture Policy Dashboard

The State Marine Aquaculture Policy Dashboard is a valuable resource supporting the sustainable growth and expansion of the U.S. marine aquaculture industry by increasing the accessibility and usability of state marine aquaculture data. Funded by a grant from the Builder’s Initiative, the dashboard launched in Fall 2023. The information in the dashboard was compiled by researchers at the National Sea Grant Law Center and Florida State University in consultation with aquaculture managers in each state.

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State Marine Aquaculture Coordination Network

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Aquaculture, in collaboration with the National Sea Grant Law Center, formed the State Marine Aquaculture Coordination Network (SMACN). SMACN provides a forum to bring together state officials and extension personnel to discuss best practices for marine aquaculture management and an avenue for interstate information exchange.

SMACN’s mission is to create efficiencies through collaboration which will benefit state programs, federal coordination, research and extension efforts, and industry access. This network aims to provide a needed space for state-level administrators to learn from each other’s experiences and challenges on a variety of topics, including lease siting and regulation, permitting processes, industry outreach and development, and user conflict issues. SMACN will also serve as an information hub for a multitude of stakeholders through the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive inventory of regulatory information and contacts across state aquaculture programs.

In 2020, the National Sea Grant Law Center received funding from the NOAA Sea Grant program to support the inaugural SMACN workshop. The workshop was held May 17-19, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. In 2023, SMACN’s annual meeting was held May 16-18 in Memphis, TN.

GLAC 2.0

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC), led by Minnesota Sea Grant, was awarded funding from the National Sea Grant Office to increase aquaculture literacy and to continue development of an environmentally responsible, competitive, and sustainable aquaculture industry in the Great Lakes region. As one of the GLAC 2.0 partners, the National Sea Grant Law Center Law Center is compiling an inventory of the aquaculture laws, regulations, and policies for each of the Great Lakes states and undertaking an analysis of the compiled laws to identify commonalities, differences, and gaps across the Great Lakes states that may present barriers to aquaculture in the region. A summary report of research findings will help enhance understanding of the legal framework governing aquaculture in the Great Lakes.

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