New Bill in Congress Demonstrates Broad Bipartisan Support for Expanding Open Ocean Aquaculture
Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) Introduce Bill to Launch Commercial-Scale Farms in U.S. Waters
Washington, D.C. – August 1, 2025 – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the bipartisan Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025 (S.2586), a bill that would advance the development of commercial-scale open ocean aquaculture farms in U.S. federal waters. Expanding sustainable aquaculture would increase our domestic seafood supply, create jobs and spur investment in coastal communities, strengthen the U.S. seafood industry, and reduce the nation’s seafood trade deficit.
“The bipartisan consensus is clear: Congressional action is needed to build a robust American open ocean aquaculture industry, and the MARA Act lays the groundwork towards that goal,” said Drue Banta Winters, campaign manager of Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS). “We thank Senators Schatz and Wicker for their leadership in introducing legislation that will allow us to demonstrate how we can grow more of our own seafood here at home—and do so responsibly and sustainably, just like it’s already being done today in countries abroad and in our own state waters.”
The MARA Act would:
· Establish an assessment program to evaluate commercial-scale demonstration projects.
· Create a dedicated Office of Aquaculture within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service to coordinate federal permitting for a U.S. aquaculture program.
· Set clear timelines and establish a consolidated environmental review process during the permitting approval process.
· Authorize grant funding to modernize American working waterfront communities, including infrastructure that benefits both commercial fishing and aquaculture.
· Invest in workforce training and curriculum development to train the next generation of aquaculture professionals.
The bill builds on years of bipartisan legislative effort, incorporating key provisions from both the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture, or AQUAA Act, and the Science-based Equitable Aquaculture Food, or SEAfood Act, which were both introduced in previous congresses.
“This growing bipartisan consensus in Congress to advance open ocean aquaculture in America comes with strong support from leading environmental groups, seafood industry businesses, chefs, and academics who all agree: We can responsibly grow more of our own seafood here at home,” Banta Winters concluded. “With today’s advanced technology, the responsible farming of seafood can sustainably complement our nation’s wild-capture harvesting to meet the growing demand for fresh, American-raised seafood, create new job opportunities and encourage investment in working waterfront communities.”
Currently, duplicative and costly environmental reviews by multiple federal agencies and a lack of a clear permitting framework has made it nearly impossible for fish farmers to establish aquaculture operations in U.S. federal waters. Despite growing demand for sustainable seafood and increased pressure on wild fisheries, no commercial scale finfish farm has successfully navigated the U.S. federal regulatory process to date, though some progress has recently been made. In May 2025, the EPA awarded a historic permit for Ocean Era’s Velella Epsilon demonstration project, allowing a single net pen in open ocean waters off Florida’s coast. This small project—holding just 20,000 fish and only 1% the size of a commercial farm—has been mired in the permitting process for more than seven years, with even more hurdles still ahead before the project is fully approved to enter the water.
As one of the most sustainable forms of protein production today, open ocean aquaculture would complement our nation’s wild-capture fisheries to help meet growing demand for seafood. Currently, the U.S. imports up to 85% of the seafood we consume—half of which comes from fish farms overseas.
Communities across the country, including within both coastal and inland states, would benefit from the expansion of American aquaculture. Expanding domestic seafood production would drive investment in portside infrastructure, revitalize working waterfronts, and create new jobs and business opportunities throughout the seafood supply chain, including hatcheries, fish farms, equipment manufacturers, feed suppliers, processing plants, and retailers. It would also open new markets for American farmers who grow key ingredients for sustainable fish feed, such as corn, soybeans, and peas.
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About Stronger America Through Seafood
Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) advocates for federal policies and regulations that help secure a stronger America through increased U.S. production of healthful, sustainable, and affordable seafood. Learn more at www.strongerthroughseafood.org.