Coastal Issues | Aquaculture | Activities
What Does OCRM Do to Support Aquaculture Management?
Through its coastal management efforts, the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) is helping address the management of aquaculture activities in a number of ways.
Coastal Zone Management Program
Offshore pen research facility operated by NOAA Fisheries in Washington State.
In 1990, Congress created a new program under Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act called the Coastal Zone Enhancement Program. The Coastal Zone Enhancement Program provides incentives for states and territories to enhance their programs in a wide array of coastal issues of national significance. In 1996, Congress recognized aquaculture as an important emerging issue and directed that Coastal Zone Enhancement funds could be used by state coastal programs to develop and adopt procedures and policies to guide the siting of aquaculture facilities. Coastal zone management programs are encouraged to develop and enhance regulatory planning and intra-governmental coordination mechanisms to provide meaningful state participation in the management of aquaculture, to balance the uses of coastal and ocean resources, to coordinate with existing authorities, and to minimize user conflicts.
NOAA Aquaculture Activities
The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) addresses aquaculture, as part of a NOAA-wide team, through support for the development of NOAA and Department of Commerce policies on marine aquaculture and the review and development of new legislation that would address the regulatory review process for new aquaculture facilities in the Federal Exclusive Economic Zone. The NOAA Aquaculture Team also assists with the development of research proposals to address issues important to the coastal states and aquaculture interests such as pilot projects, improving best management practices, conducting environmental assessments of existing operations, and using modern techniques to identify least conflict zones for siting new facilities. More information on NOAA’s aquaculture activities is available at the NOAA Library.
For additional information contact Matt Gove.