The United States has substantial untapped potential to increase sustainable aquaculture production. To help reach this potential, for the first time since 1983 the United States is releasing an updated National Aquaculture Development Plan (NADP). The NADP includes a new National Strategic Plan for Aquaculture Research - these documents comprise a holistic framework describing how U.S. federal agencies can better collaborate to advance sustainable aquaculture development to support resilient communities, a strong economy, and a healthy planet.
The NADP is a product of the Subcommittee on Aquaculture (SCA), a statutory group that operates under the Executive Office of the President. The SCA serves as the federal interagency coordinating group to increase the overall effectiveness and productivity of federal aquaculture research, regulation, technology transfer, and assistance programs. While the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 called for periodic updates of the NADP, a comprehensive update has not been completed until now. The original NADP drafted four decades ago does not capture the progress the U.S. aquaculture community has made to develop and adopt scientific advancements and sustainable aquaculture practices.