Monday, February 7, 2011

State must save, not end, open-ocean fish farming

Two anti-open-ocean fish farming bills have been introduced in this legislative session. Both reflect a profound lack of knowledge of the subject, especially the strategic importance of the budding aquaculture industry to our economy.

HB 221 would stop open-ocean fish farming (mariculture) with a moratorium on permits and expansions. SB 626 would require an environmental impact statement (beyond the already rigorous environmental assessment) and codify a percentage rent on revenues in addition to lease rent. They're both bad bills, and there's no room for them here, where mariculture is a unique advantage.

In addition to creating jobs, export revenues and economic expansion, mariculture provides critical food security. We're still spending almost as much buying foreign fish as buying foreign oil, and that's simply not sustainable.

We're Hawaii, surrounded by millions of miles of ocean, the only state with a regulatory process that allows entrepreneurs to pursue mariculture. We should be world leaders in that, but we're too busy shooting ourselves in the foot. Read more...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers.

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