Groundbreaking rule opens the door for seafood farming in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico
NOAA filed a final rule today implementing the nation’s first comprehensive regulatory program for aquaculture in federal waters. The groundbreaking rule creates a coordinated permitting system for the Gulf of Mexico, opening the door for the region to expand seafood production and create new jobs in an environmentally sustainable manner.
![Divers around the open-ocean aquaculture cage at the Cape Eleuthera Institiute in The Bahamas. These cages are not currently used in the Gulf, but represent one type of farming technology that could work in in the region. (Image credit: With permission from Kelly Martin) Divers around the open-ocean aquaculture cage at the Cape Eleuthera Institiute in The Bahamas. These cages are not currently used in the Gulf, but represent one type of farming technology that could work in in the region.](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/legacy/image/2019/Jun/PHOTO-Aquaculture-012016-884x651-landscape.jpg?itok=pzvLacXc)
Divers around the open-ocean aquaculture cage at the Cape Eleuthera Institiute in The Bahamas. These cages are not currently used in the Gulf, but represent one type of farming technology that could work in in the region. (Image credit: With permission from Kelly Martin)