Aquaculture Opportunity Areas 2020

11 organizations filed 11 public comments on Aquaculture Opportunity Areas 2020, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The comment window closed 2044d ago.

Abstract

On May 7, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order (E.O.) on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth (E.O. 13921), which requires the Secretary of Commerce to identify geographic areas containing locations suitable for commercial aquaculture, and complete a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for each area to assess the impact of siting aquaculture facilities there. These geographic areas will be referred to as Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) once the PEIS is complete. NOAA has selected Federal waters within the Gulf of Mexico and off Southern California, south of Point Conception, as the regions where the first two AOAs will be located. By combining input received through consultation and coordination with Federal and non-Federal stakeholders, comments on this notice, and spatial modeling by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) that is based on the best available science, NOAA will further define those areas. NOAA requests that interested parties provide relevant information on the identification of areas within the Gulf of Mexico and waters off Southern California for the first two AOAs and on what areas NOAA should consider nationally for future AOAs. Please respond to the questions listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section, as appropriate. The public input provided in response to this request for information (RFI) will inform NOAA as it works with Federal agencies, appropriate Regional Fishery Management Councils, and in coordination with appropriate State and tribal governments to identify AOAs.

Commenters (11)

• Alaska Fisheries Development Foundationtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• American Sportfishing Associationtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• California Ocean Protection Counciltrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• California Wetfish Producers Associationtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Environmental Defense Fundtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 97%
• Gulf Fishermen's Associationtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliancetrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• National Ocean Policy Coalitiontrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Southern Offshore Fishermen Associationtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Valdez Fisheries Development Association Inctrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Counciltrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%