The Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) coalition and the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA) have jointly sent a letter signed by 140 open ocean aquaculture advocates to leadership of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources urging Congress to pass the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025 (S.2586/H.R. 5746).
The letter of support, which received 140 signatories, was signed by representatives across the seafood industry, as well as environmental organizations, chefs, academics and others.
“The U.S. has the science and technology, ocean resources and skilled seafood workforce to lead in sustainable seafood production,” said Drue Banta Winters, campaign manager of Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS). “The MARA Act would put in place a pathway to allow us to demonstrate that we can grow more of our seafood here at home both responsibly and sustainably, while strengthening coastal economies, supporting America’s terrestrial farmers and strengthening our nation’s food security.”
Introduced by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Reps. Mike Ezell (R-Mississippi), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Kat Cammack (R-Florida) and Jimmy Panetta (D-California), the MARA Act lays the groundwork for a science-based approach to developing sustainable offshore aquaculture in U.S. federal waters. The MARA Act builds on years of bipartisan effort to help the U.S. harness the potential of American open ocean aquaculture by codifying the existing and effective Office of Aquaculture within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), streamlining permitting, supporting working waterfront infrastructure and investing in workforce training to prepare the next generation of maritime professionals.
“The MARA Act represents a pivotal step toward ensuring that aquaculture in U.S. federal waters is guided by sound science, transparency and a commitment to ocean health,” said Maddie Voorhees, lead for the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture and U.S. Aquaculture campaign director at Environmental Defense Fund. “By investing in research and commercial-scale demonstration projects, this bill will help answer critical questions about how we can responsibly grow more seafood at home while safeguarding the ecosystems and communities that depend on healthy oceans.”
The bill’s inclusion of science-based demonstration projects is an essential step toward understanding how open ocean aquaculture can expand while maintaining strong environmental safeguards. These projects will generate the data needed to guide responsible growth, protect ocean health and strengthen public trust in U.S. aquaculture.
The letter said that expanding responsible American aquaculture will strengthen coastal and inland economies. Coastal communities will benefit from new investment in portside infrastructure and seafood processing, while inland states will gain new markets for U.S.-grown crops such as soybeans, corn, peas and barley used in sustainable aquafeeds. The broader seafood supply chain, from hatcheries and equipment manufacturers to processors, retailers and exporters, stands to benefit as well.
