How Aquaculture Helps Florida (and Can Help Your State Too!)
Up to 85% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, with 50% from farms. So, why not grow our own local food? Some states are leading the charge on aquaculture – and strengthening their economies and access to sustainable seafood.
The Southern states have been leaders in American aquaculture production. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Aquaculture, released in December, five states accounted for 55% of aquaculture sales and 49% of aquaculture farms in 2023—and four of the five were in the South: Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama.
Florida benefiting from aquaculture:
The Sunshine State has a diverse aquaculture industry, which is “thriving,” according to a recent University of Florida news story, focused on how aquaculture strengthens the state’s economy. The story notes that the state’s aquaculture industry “is a vital part of the state’s economy, generating more than $165 million in sales annually and supporting jobs across rural and coastal communities.”
The piece adds, "In Florida, as the number of fish farms and the scale of their operations have grown, the value of food fish sales has skyrocketed. Between 2018 and 2023, sales rose from $4 million to $26 million, a 550% increase.”
Florida clam farmer Heath Davis tells the University of Florida, “Aquaculture farming is such a huge part of Florida’s economy.” He adds, “It could hold some of the answers needed to sustain the growing number of people living on this peninsula.”
Matthew DiMaggio, director of the UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin, Florida, also explained in the piece that “Seafood is considered one of the most in-demand sources of lean protein in the world, and it has to come from somewhere…The ocean can't produce any more than it already has, so aquaculture has to make up the deficit.”
Open ocean aquaculture an untapped opportunity:
Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) continues to educate Congress on the need for legislation to support the expansion of aquaculture in U.S. federal waters.
NOAA has taken a big step toward helping Florida—and neighboring states—grow their aquaculture industries. Just off the coast of Florida lies that vast expanse of federal waters with immense untapped potential for sustainable seafood production—the Gulf. NOAA has identified the Gulf as one of the first regions for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs), a critical step in addressing regulatory barriers that have stalled open ocean aquaculture. By identifying suitable sites and conducting upfront environmental analyses, AOAs help reduce uncertainty in the permitting process, making it easier for farmers to secure approvals and start operations.
But Congress has to act as well. Today, duplicative and costly environmental reviews by multiple federal agencies and the lack of a clear or timely permitting process have made it nearly impossible for fish farmers to clear the regulatory hurdles to farm in U.S. federal waters. Many have attempted to navigate the regulatory process, but not a single commercial-scale fish farm has made it through to operation.
Congress holds the key to unlocking the full potential of American aquaculture. By passing legislation to support sustainable aquaculture in U.S. federal waters, Congress will again position the nation as a world leader in seafood production — strengthening our economy, ensuring a more secure seafood supply chain, and helping put more affordable, American-raised seafood on America’s dinner tables.