On September 1, 2026, the Southern Shrimp Alliance filed comments in response to NOAA’s Request for Information on Identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in U.S. Waters (NOAA-NMFS-2026-2179), published in the Federal Register on July 30, 2026. NOAA is seeking information as part of the next round of Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) identification, the process of designating ocean areas as potentially suitable for large-scale commercial aquaculture development.
The AOA identification process is the first critical step in a multi-year process that shapes years of downstream planning and environmental review of sites in the South Atlantic suitable for offshore aquaculture development.
SSA has more than two decades of experience weighing in on this process, during which it has repeatedly raised concerns about offshore aquaculture’s impact on wild-capture fisheries, including through detailed comments on the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Gulf of America AOAs. That sustained engagement helped keep two areas of significant shrimp fishing effort, C-3 and C-13, out of the final Gulf siting decision. The comments filed this week build on that same work for the South Atlantic.
Aquaculture Should Complement—Not Replace—Wild-Capture Fisheries
SSA’s comments hold NOAA accountable to its own stated goal: to “thoughtfully consider how and where to sustainably develop aquaculture that will complement wild-caught capture fisheries, working waterfronts, and our nation’s seafood processing and distribution infrastructure.” American wild-capture fisheries are already in a precarious economic position, and coastal communities across the country are watching processing capacity and working waterfronts disappear. Aquaculture development that displaces fishing grounds, restricts access to productive waters, or creates new navigational hazards would only accelerate that decline.
SSA’s message to NOAA is direct: aquaculture should supplement domestic seafood production, not replace or diminish existing wild-capture fisheries.
Key Points
- No fishing grounds should be designated as AOAs without real fishermen input. NOAA should consult directly with active commercial fishermen, fishing organizations, Regional Fishery Management Councils, and state marine fisheries agencies before any area advances for further review—not after preferred sites are selected.
- “Unused” doesn’t mean unavailable. Seasonal fishing grounds may not be used year-round, but are vitally important to commercial fishermen. SSA advocates for use of marine spatial mapping, utilizing long-term vessel tracking data, as well as industry consultations.
- Technical suitability isn’t the only test. NOAA should evaluate whether aquaculture gear, such as cages, lines, anchors, and buoys, would interfere with commercial fishing access, vessel traffic, or the safe deployment and retrieval of fishing gear.
- Keep AOAs as small as necessary. NOAA should avoid designating large areas based solely on the aquaculture development goal. Determining the number and footprint of farms within an AOA should have a primary goal of preserving available fishing grounds and safe vessel navigation.
SSA did not recommend a specific region or location for the next AOA. Instead, the comments focus on the process. Whatever region NOAA selects, traditional fishing grounds need to be accounted for and commercial fishermen should be consulted.
Comment Period Closes September 13
NOAA’s comment period on this RFI closes on September 13, 2026. Comments can be submitted electronically at regulations.gov under docket number NOAA-NMFS-2026-2179, or by mail to Brian Fredieu, Office of Aquaculture, NOAA Fisheries, Attn: Aquaculture Opportunity Area, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Read SSA’s full comment letter is available at https://www.regulations.gov/comment/NOAA-NMFS-2026-2179-0016