Oregon’s small commercial aquaculture industry consists of estuarine shellfish mariculture, tank-based seaweed culture, and public and private finfish hatcheries. While there has been interest in expansion among the industry, the state has been slow to progress. In 2021, Oregon Sea Grant conducted a needs assessment to determine major barriers to expansion from the perspectives of multiple sectors (Figure 1). Results of the needs assessment indicated strong interest in expansion from current and emerging growers, but highlighted several barriers, such as permitting/regulations, lack of leasing space, lack of support/resources, climate/ecological constraints, and technological limitations.
Permitting and regulations were identified as major hindrances, particularly for novel species and technologies. Specific challenges expressed from industry included a lack of guidance on the current processes, lack of regulatory framework for species other than oysters, and support for new growers and changes to existing operations. To begin to address these challenges, Oregon Sea Grant produced a white paper that summarized the current regulatory framework for marine aquaculture in Oregon and provided recommendations for addressing regulatory and policy barriers. This presentation will summarize the needs assessment, outline recommendations for policy change in Oregon from the white paper, and seek feedback on ways to support industry expansion with limited capacity within the state.