Today, aquaculture in federal waters is among the most talked-about technologies associated with the future of seafood production in the United States. In a report to Congress, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy recommended that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) develop a comprehensive, environmentally sound permitting and regulatory program for marine aquaculture. This book reviews research on the effect on U.S. offshore aquaculture of global and national trends in seafood supply and demand, other factors that affect market prices, such as the cost of feed and technology, social factors, government regulations and useful models from other food segments of the U.S. economy and others.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume addresses the potential for combining large-scale marine aquaculture of macroalgae, molluscs, crustaceans, and finfish, with offshore structures, primarily those associated with energy production, such as wind turbines and oil-drilling platforms. The volume offers a comprehensive overview and includes chapters on policy, science, engineering, and economic aspects to make this concept a reality. The compilation of chapters authored by internationally recognized researchers across the globe addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of multi-use, and presents case studies of research, development, and demonstration-scale installations in the US and EU.

Offshore aquaculture, or mariculture, is a new industry that has great economic potential for the United States. With the California being the third largest state in the country and having a coastline that stretches 840 miles, a viable ocean management plan can make use of the California coastal zone by accommodating the many maritime industries and stakeholders that can benefit from such a plan. The solution to this dilemma is for the federal government to begin building a regulatory framework that incorporates Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Some European countries have already begun creating viable spatial planning of their coastal zones that have provided the state with both political and economic benefits. California has been importing more than half of its seafood from Asian countries for some years now. China is a model for aquaculture in that region that incidentally is also the biggest seafood exporter to California and the United States. The United States has strangely fallen behind the aquaculture industry for a number of reasons. Although there is some valuable research that has studied the effects of aquaculture, further research is necessary to truly estimate the environmental impacts of offshore aquaculture, the development of responsible and sustainable methods, and the absence of a federal framework combining MSP and aquaculture are all explanations for the shortage of coastal legislation. Until NOAA, the United States Coast Guard, and other federal agency stakeholders make their recommendations for MSP, the aquaculture industry in California and the United States will be slow and ineffective.

Aquaculture (AQ) -- the raising of fish and shellfish in captivity -- has been confined to near-shore coastal waters or in other water bodies that fall under state regulation. Recently, there has been interest in expanding AQ to offshore waters, which would involve raising fish and shellfish in the open ocean, and consequently bringing these types of operations under fed. regulation. No comprehensive legislative or regulatory framework to manage such an expansion exists. Instead, multiple federal agencies have authority to regulate different aspects of offshore AQ under a variety of laws. This report identifies key issues that should be addressed in the development of an effective regulatory framework for U.S. offshore AQ. Illus.