Feds look to regulate fish farms in Pacific

Federal officials plan to develop rules for the operation of fish farms in 2.2 million miles of U.S. waters in the Pacific — a move that many hope will help stem the nation’s annual $11 billion seafood trade deficit.

But some say fish farms in so-called exclusive economic zones should be banned because farmed fish might introduce disease, escape into the wild stock, generate pollution or include the use of antibiotics.

“The global experience hasn’t been that successful,” said Marianne Cufone, director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition. “There have been a lot of problems.”

Currently there are no federal regulations governing aquaculture or fish farms in federal waters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is trying to determine the scope of the proposal so it can draft regulations.

A public meeting to discuss the development of rules will be held 6 to 9 p.m. tonight at the federal Fisheries Honolulu Service Center, 1138 North Nimitz Highway.

Rules that would be developed would apply to U.S. ocean areas beyond the 3 miles of state jurisdiction and extend 200 miles.

Cufone said if the federal government chooses to push for more open-ocean fish farms, it should require that an observer be in place at aqua farms to ensure compliance with regulations.

Federal officials recently completed rules for open-ocean fish farms in exclusive economic zones along the Gulf Coast but they did not include a requirement for observers.

How much of the 2.2 million square miles will be available for open-ocean fish farms has yet to be determined, and it’s too early to identify areas, NOAA official Melanie Brown said.

“We are looking for information during scoping on areas where we should and should not allow offshore aquaculture,” Brown said.

Hawaii Longline Association president Sean Martin said the group generally has no position on open-ocean fish farms because ships belonging to association members haven’t been operating near any fish farms.

But he said there is concern about maintaining the quality of fisheries in the Hawaiian Islands and about the protection of native species.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council said it supports the development of rules for open-ocean fish farms.

Joshua DeMello, fishery analyst for Westpac, said the rules could provide environmental monitoring, minimize use of antibiotics and require that open-ocean fish farms be limited to native fish.

He said the rules could include guidelines for assessing the impact of fish farms by requiring establishment of a baseline of information at potential sites prior to development.

The United States is the world’s leading importer of fish and fishery products, with 91 percent of consumed seafood originating abroad — half of it from aquaculture, according to NOAA.

The agency said the U.S. seafood trade has grown to more than $11.2 billion annually and global aquaculture is dominated by Asia; China accounts for 62 percent.

In Hawaii, there are just a few open-ocean fish farms, including Kona Bluewater within state waters and the private research project Kampachi Farms LLC in federal waters.

Kampachi Farms co-founder Neil Sims said he sold Kona Bluewater in 2010 and the site harvested 500 tons of amberjack last year with no significant environmental impact.

NOAA Fisheries must receive comments by Oct. 31. Read the Federal Register notice at bit.ly/2e9l1Uf. Written comments may be mailed to Michael D. Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu 96818.