USMSFP - U.S. Marine Shrimp Farming Program

WASHINGTON -- Congress passed a law in 1980 declaring a United States policy to encourage "ocean ranching." At the time, half the seafood consumed in the United States was imported. The country now imports about 75 percent of its seafood and much of that, federal officials say, is from aquaculture.

But still no Americans are scooping finfish out of floating cages in federal waters to compete.

Bureaucrats and fishery managers have explored offshore aquaculture for more than 20 years. But they have yet to pass a law that would allow the United States to combat this growing contributor to last year's $7.8 billion seafood trade deficit.

An unsuccessful application by entrepreneurs in Florida last year to raise fish in the Gulf of Mexico, however, has added pressure on federal and regional officials.

"The country needs to go forward and support aquaculture development," said Linda Chaves, aquaculture coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Federal officials say they intend to finally spark a national debate about ocean ranching. Existing law doesn't address offshore fish farming, which otherwise would be subject to the same size and bag limits imposed on fishing in federal waters.

NOAA, a division of the Department of Commerce, submitted draft legislation to the secretary of commerce about three weeks ago that would allow and regulate offshore fish farms, said Timothy Keeney, deputy assistant secretary for NOAA.

The aquaculture bill, which has been in development since during the Clinton administration, could be ready for Congress within weeks if the White House approves, he said.

At the same time, members of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council are working on a framework that would be used to regulate offshore fish farms in the Gulf.

But federal officials and environmentalists don't like the idea of regional councils going forward without national standards in place.

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, a presidential task force looking at broad ocean issues, is expected to release a draft of a long-awaited report on April 20. Officials at NOAA who wrote the draft legislation have been briefed on the commission's position on aquaculture.

"They're very supportive," Keeney said. "We're very much in sync with what we expect them to be recommending."

Researchers have experimented with pens in deep water, but raising finfish offshore for the commercial market is nonexistent here.

One reason: Aquaculture is a political landmine. Touching it has not been a priority, but the decline of some domestic fisheries and the rise of global aquaculture are pushing officials cautiously ahead.

Putting thousands of fish in offshore pens raises questions about pollution, genetic engineering, invasive species control, global trade and competition with traditional fishermen.

Some insiders say the Florida proposal made clear that the United States cannot coast any longer.

The partners in Florida Offshore Aquaculture asked federal permission to float eight huge cages 33 miles off St. Petersburg as a commercial and scientific pilot under a fishing exemption. Their request was denied in December amid concerns about the applicants' experience and holes in the application.

During that debate, the Gulf council embarked on its regulatory effort and federal officials got busier.

"We moved the dime a little bit," said Joseph Symons, a principal in the Madeira Beach-based venture, who is considering a second attempt. "I like to say we're on the cutting edge."

Many people involved with that application say that a St. Petersburg Times report last summer raised red flags by looking at the partners' pasts. Symons once declared bankruptcy, and a partner, Thomas Powell, served time on a federal drug smuggling conviction. The permit was denied on other grounds, however. Symons and Powell say they are undeterred.

Federal and regional officials say this is not a matter of if or by whom, but of when and under what rules.

"I'm sure it's going to be inevitable," said Wayne Swingle, executive director of the Gulf council, which voted 8-7 to recommend against the permit for Florida Offshore Aquaculture.

The council is working on rules on the assumption that aquaculture should be allowed. Swingle said he would like federal approval by fall 2005.

Environmental groups want to minimize pollution, antibiotics, escapes by fish into nonnative waters and other problems.

"It's probably coming soon, but there isn't a burning need for it to happen right now without us being prepared for it," said Marianne Cufone, a program manager with the Ocean Conservancy's St. Petersburg office.

One argument for a domestic industry is that Americans are eating seafood raised overseas by countries that don't have adequate health and environmental standards, U.S. officials said. The United States cannot influence their practices without setting its own, they said.

U.S. fishermen working the open water have resisted consideration of aquaculture that could turn them into sharecroppers. Swingle said some oppose fish farming because it could drive down prices for wild fish.

Others, however, see farming as a solution to dwindling stocks.

"As we've seen capacity going down and down and down in fisheries, some are thinking about alternatives," said Nicol Andrews, a spokeswoman for the House Resources Committee.

But when Congress does consider a national aquaculture law, it is unlikely to move quickly. The issues could take years to resolve.

"We have to sort out aquaculture, who has jurisdiction over it, because it is going to happen," a Senate Commerce Committee aide said. "We are way behind the curve on aquaculture in the United States."

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