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The program, administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency, is the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, or NAP for short.

“The new policy expands coverage to oyster farmers who practice bottom culture – a huge win for industry, regulators and stakeholders who have been pushing for that change for over a decade.” said Tessa Getchis.

Ms Getchis, an aquaculture specialist for Connecticut Sea Grant at the University of Connecticut, worked with the USDA Farm Service Agency, the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, the State Department of Agriculture and extension colleagues from around the region to help growers make the case for the policy change. Previously, NAP only covered shellfish producers who cultivated their product in containers (e.g. bags or cages). NAP provides only a small amount of coverage for crop losses, but the improvements for aquaculture represents real progress.

Before this new provision, only traditional farm crops, cultured fish and shellfish grown in containers were covered. Thus farmers growing oysters on the seafloor, for example, that were smothered in mud by Tropical Storm Irene and later Super Storm Sandy, took losses on their crops and had no way to recover their losses. The new policy changes that.

The new rules also expand eligibility to rope culture operations, which will provide coverage for mussel and kelp (seaweed) culture.