NOAA: Offshore fish farming would be economic boon

Business week



NEW ORLEANS
A federal report says offshore fish farming would be an economic boon if it were allowed to take off in U.S. seas.


The report this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration comes at a time when the White House is pushing to open offshore waters to fish farming. Environmentalists worry that offshore aquaculture would pollute the seas and threaten wild species.


The report said offshore fish farming is feasible and would help meet the growing demand for seafood.
Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, the NOAA administrator, said that if the United States chooses not to expand fish farming into the open waters it would restrict the nation's ability to feed itself and miss out on an opportunity to create jobs and develop new technology.