Proposed Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Gulf of Mexico
NOAA Fisheries has released two draft programmatic environmental impact statements to support the identification of proposed aquaculture opportunity areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The public is invited to review and submit comments on the draft statements by February 20, 2025.
In Southern California, NOAA experts outlined up to 10 locations as proposed AOAs, with eight situated in the Santa Barbara Channel and two in Santa Monica Bay, each ranging in size from 500 to 2,000 acres and totaling up to 16,500 acres. The draft impact statement considers multiple scenarios, including the potential impacts of seaweed and shellfish aquaculture only, and the potential impacts of seaweed, shellfish, and finfish.
In the Gulf of Mexico, the proposed AOAs include three locations off the coast of Texas and one off the coast of Louisiana, each ranging in size from 500 to 2,000 acres and totaling 6,500 acres. The draft impact statement analyzes five areas for various aquaculture types, including shellfish, finfish and seaweed.