Offshore finfish aquaculture in the United States faces several challenges for expansion including difficulty of permitting, pushback from environmentalists and stakeholders, and high startup costs. Many of the challenges stem from the common misconception that offshore aquaculture is inherently harmful to the environment. However, well-run operations typically have minimal effect on surrounding water quality and benthic environment and can substantially enhance surrounding biodiversity. Moreover, the substitution of wild caught fish with farm raised fish alleviates pressure on wild stocks. While these positives are often understood within the industry, there has been little comprehensive analysis of the potential benefits of offshore finfish aquaculture. This study attempts to quantify the environmental effects of offshore finfish aquaculture on the surrounding environment. A suite of tools, including water quality and hydrodynamic monitoring, sediment sampling, environmental DNA (eDNA), FlowCam Imaging Microscopy, and benthic/bathometric surveying were used. A baseline was generated for three months prior to stocking the net pens and sampling continued through the entire 10-month growout. The results are summarized in this presentation.