Coastal farming and ocean ranching of marine fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and seaweed are a major and growing industry worldwide. In the United States, freshwater aquaculture is rapidly becoming a significant commercial activity; however, marine aquaculture has lagged behind. This book examines the obstacles to developing marine aquaculture in the United States and offers specific recommendations for technology and policy strategies to encourage this industry. The volume provides a wealth of information on the status of marine aquacultureâ€"including comparisons between U.S. and foreign approaches to policy and technology and of the diverse species under culture. Marine Aquaculture also describes problems of coordination of regulatory policy among various federal, state, and local government agencies and escalating competition for the use of coastal waters. It addresses environmental concerns and suggests engineering and research strategies for alleviating negative impacts from marine aquaculture operations.

Today, aquaculture in federal waters is among the most talked-about technologies associated with the future of seafood production in the United States. In a report to Congress, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy recommended that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) develop a comprehensive, environmentally sound permitting and regulatory program for marine aquaculture. This book reviews research on the effect on U.S. offshore aquaculture of global and national trends in seafood supply and demand, other factors that affect market prices, such as the cost of feed and technology, social factors, government regulations and useful models from other food segments of the U.S. economy and others.

Published in Cooperation with THE UNITED STATES AQUACULTURE SOCIETY As aquaculture production continues to grow and develop there is a continuous search for new species to culture to be able to fully exploit new national and international markets. Species selection for aquaculture development often poses an enormous challenge for decision makers who must decide which species and culture technologies to support with public resources, and then how best to divide those resources. Species and System Selection for Sustainable Aquaculture brings together contributions from international experts with experience in identifying potential species and production systems for sustainable aquaculture with a socioeconomic focus. The book is divided into three sections: Principles, Practices, and Species-Specific Public Policy for Sustainable Development. An outgrowth of a workshop held as part of the Aquaculture Interchange Program with examples from around the globe carefully edited by PingSun Leung, Pat O'Bryen, and Cheng-Sheng Lee this volume will be an important reference for all researchers, professionals, economists, and policy-makers involved in selecting new species for the development of sustainable aquaculture.