As directed by the Executive Order 13921, “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” (May 7, 2020), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Region is developing a draft programmatic environmental impact statement (DPEIS), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to evaluate the potential adverse and beneficial impacts of identifying one or more Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in U.S. federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and the potential impacts associated with siting future commercial aquaculture operations in those locations. The intent of this DPEIS is to support long-term planning for offshore aquaculture in the Gulf. The identification of AOAs does not support a specific regulatory or permitting action and does not authorize or permit any specific aquaculture-related activities or individual aquaculture operations.
This talk will provide an update on the progress that has been made to identify Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in the Gulf of Mexico, including the publication of the DPEIS and the next steps in the process.
The public can view the PEIS and related comments at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2024-0135