A catfish farmer loading 2,000 pounds of catfish into a truck to be transported for processing. Right now, fish farming in the U.S. can only be done in inland or near shore waters. The U.S. government is deciding whether to allow fish farms in federal waters, in the zone between three and 200 miles offshore. (Photo courtesy of USDA)
The federal government is deciding whether to allow fish to be raised
in cages in the ocean. Rebecca Williams reports:
Transcript
The federal government is deciding whether to allow fish to be raised
in cages in the ocean. Rebecca Williams reports:
The U.S. imports more than 80% of all the fish we eat. About half of
those imported fish are grown on farms in huge underwater cages.
The U.S. government is deciding whether to allow these commercial fish
farms in federal waters. The first place it might happen is in the
Gulf of Mexico.
Tom McIlwain chairs the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council:
“There’s biosecurity reasons for being able to produce those foodstuffs
in the US. I think we can do this in an environmentally sound manner.”
McIlwain says a number of permits would be required before anyone could
start operating an ocean fish farm. But some environmental groups are
worried about pollution from the farms.
And some fishermen who catch fish in the open ocean are worried these
fish farms could drive down the price of their catch.
For the Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.