By Michael Lee, Executive Director, California Aquaculture Association
The United States, and California specifically, has an incredible opportunity to create an entirely new industry – offshore aquaculture. But federal legislation is needed to provide the foundation on which to build this industry.
The Food and Agriculture Organization’s State of the World Fisheries report estimates that 93% of wild fish stocks worldwide are fished at maximum sustainable levels[i]. Wild fisheries are managed well in California, but there are only so many fish that the ocean can sustainably produce. And with the world population projected to increase from the current 7.7 billion (2019) to 9.7 billion by 2050[ii], the demand for consumable proteins, including finfish, will only increase in the decades to come. Aquaculture is needed to supplement this demand.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear the need to increase food security in the United States. The U.S. imports 80% to 90% of its seafood[iii], approximately 50% of which is produced by way of aquaculture[iv]. So, we’re eating farmed fish already, it’s just not coming from our own farmers. We need to be producing more seafood domestically. California’s coastal waters provide us a perfect opportunity to do just that…
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