Updates

Americans deserve better than radioactive shrimp. As a longtime commercial fisherman, that’s not something I thought I’d ever have to say. That changed last month when the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to avoid certain frozen shrimp sold at Walmart, Kroger, and other stores. You may have seen headlines that sounded like something out of a bad…

Mike Coogan has been doing aquaculture, or fish farming, formally for over a decade. Informally — through at-home hobby fish tanks and aquariums — he’s been doing it much longer. Now, he’s joined a legislative effort to streamline the regulatory process for aquaculture to help create a U.S. industry. Coogan is a researcher at the…

Advocates for increasing Hawaiʻi’s aquaculture production are buoyed by the introduction of federal legislation that could supercharge the almost $2 billion national fish farming industry, a sector many believe has been neglected by state authorities for too long. The bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaiʻi, intends to streamline permitting, build the aquaculture workforce,…

A new bill in the U.S. Senate aims to increase domestic seafood production in the U.S., which currently imports most of its seafood. The Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025 would explore innovative new methods of producing homegrown American sustainable aquaculture. The bill focuses on boosting offshore aquaculture development by removing regulatory barriers, providing a positive…

A new bill in the U.S. Senate aims to create job opportunities in fishing and aquaculture by making seafood, whether caught in the wild or farmed, sustainable. While imports take a hit from tariffs, work is being done on the federal level to boost seafood production in the U.S., including in Hawaii. Currently, the U.S.…

A new bill introduced in the US Senate aims to kickstart commercial fish farming in federal waters, increasing domestic seafood production and creating economic opportunities in coastal communities. US Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Roger Wicker of Mississippi have introduced the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill aimed…

US senators have unveiled a bipartisan-supported bill to jump-start offshore fish farming by giving federal regulators a clear path to permit research-focused demonstration farms in US waters. The bill, known as the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025, was featured Monday (Aug. 4) in a press release from the Coalition for Sustainable…

There is no better way to talk about the future of ocean farming than over fresh, local oysters. Or, at the very least, that’s how the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture sees it. Last month, as a heat wave swept down the East Coast, about 20 members from the coalition — among them environmental advocates, industry…

Oyster farmer Imani Black has stepped off the boat and onto Capitol Hill with 21 members of the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture to urge lawmakers to support sustainable seafood in American open ocean waters. The coalition is familiar with the suits, high heels and high rotunda ceiling on the Hill after consistently supporting science-based, inclusive…

The Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA) is visiting Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. this week to urge lawmakers to support the development of aquaculture in the United States’ open ocean waters. This visit follows a recent letter from another coalition to Congress, also urging investment in sustainable offshore aquaculture. Consumers are increasingly demanding high-quality local seafood, yet the United…

Americans love seafood—especially salmon. Fishermen and Indigenous peoples on this continent have long revered salmon as a cultural touchstone with phenomenal life histories and deep connections to the place. Plus, salmon tastes good. We love salmon so much that in 2021 Americans ate almost 3.5 pounds of it, on average, making it the most popular…

The Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA) today announced its new members, including a sustainability non-profit, and graduate students with high ambitions within the aquaculture sector.