Aquaculture 2022

February 28 - March 4, 2022

San Diego, California

MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING FOR OFFSHORE AQUACULTURE IN FLORIDA: A FIRST LOOK AT POTENTIAL OPTIONS FOR SITING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

 

 Marcy  L. Cockrell,* Charlie  M. Culpepper, III, Portia Sapp,  Lisa Wickliffe, Jonathan Jossart, James Morris, Jr., and Kenneth Riley

 

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Division of Aquaculture

600 South Calhoun St., Suite 217

Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Marcy.Cockrell@FDACS.gov

 



Offshore aquaculture for finfish, seaweed and shellfish  holds great potential to  bolster U.S. domestic aquaculture , domestic seafood supply chains and economies in coastal communities. The ability to find suitable sites for offshore aquaculture, however, remains a significant challenge for anyone looking to start an offshore enterprise. With the goal of providing baseline information for those interested in offshore aquaculture, t he Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Aquaculture partnered with the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability Program to perform a marine spatial planning exercise for offshore aquaculture in Florida state waters.  The  siting  analysis was performed for the Florida Gulf coast from Pensacola to Tampa Bay  using 41 discrete spatial data layers  categorized as n ational security, natural and cultural resources, industry and navigation  and fishing and aquaculture. The analysis revealed 54,906 total acres (222.2 km2) across four geographically distinct  planning areas  that could  potentially  be suitable for  offshore aquaculture ( Table 1) .  This analysis presents a “first look” at potential options for siting offshore aquaculture along the Florida Gulf coast in the future. The methods and major results of the siting analysis, potential next steps and remaining hurdles that exist for permitting offshore aquaculture in Florida will be discussed.