America’s oceans need protection, not politics

Skip to content

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

Here’s something Republicans and Democrats should agree on: Major decisions about America’s ocean future shouldn’t depend on politics. They should be guided by science, stakeholder input and clear standards established by Congress that prioritize environmental protection and consumer health.

Yet that’s exactly where we are today. Permitting for open ocean aquaculture has largely been driven by an inconsistent and unclear patchwork of rules that weren’t designed with marine aquaculture in mind. As a result, there are no clear and consistent standards established by Congress for research, environmental review and public engagement.

That means decisions about a new ocean industry affecting public waters could largely unfold through shifting politics rather than science. Depending on who holds the White House, one administration may require aquaculture farms to abide by strong health and environmental safeguards and oversight, while another may take a different approach. For an emerging industry with significant environmental and economic implications, that kind of uncertainty serves no one — not fishing communities, not ocean ecosystems and not responsible businesses seeking clear rules of the road.

The Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act offers a practical solution. Rather than rely solely on the whims of a particular administration, the bill would establish science-based requirements, ensuring clear and consistent guardrails for how aquaculture research and development proceed in federal waters.

Under this act, aquaculture couldn’t move forward without rigorous environmental review. Projects would require ongoing monitoring, transparency and publicly available data. Independent scientific assessment — not industry promises or political calculation — would guide decisions and future industry development. Most importantly, these principles would be codified in law, providing the durability and consistency that long-term ocean management requires.

To be clear, federal agencies like NOAA have deep scientific expertise and a strong track record of stewarding ocean resources. But even the most capable agencies operate best when shielded from politics and provided with clear direction for prioritizing science, stakeholder engagement and environmental protection, ensuring they carry out their responsibilities with consistency, transparency and public trust.

We’ve seen this model succeed before. The Magnuson-Stevens Act established science-based standards for managing wild fisheries, helping rebuild overfished stocks and sustain fishing communities. The National Marine Sanctuaries Act created a durable framework for protecting sensitive ocean areas with public input and transparent decision-making.

The act follows this tradition. It doesn’t greenlight unlimited expansion. It establishes the research framework, environmental standards and public oversight necessary to determine whether and how aquaculture can develop responsibly in U.S. waters. Without it, decisions will be made anyway, but through a fragmented process with inconsistent standards, minimal transparency and vulnerable environmental and health safeguards.

The reality is that the conversation about aquaculture isn’t going away. Global seafood demand is rising, technological innovation is advancing and the United States imports up to 90 percent of the seafood we consume. Decisions about whether and how to expand domestic aquaculture will continue to arise. The question is whether those decisions are guided by clear guardrails or shaped primarily through shifting politics.

Congress has long set the rules for how we manage shared ocean resources. Aquaculture should be no different.

Some critics argue that any framework enabling aquaculture research is dangerous and will lead to the unregulated expansion of the industry. But inaction doesn’t stop aquaculture — it just ensures that when it does expand, it happens without durable environmental guardrails, independent scientific oversight and community protections.

If you believe major decisions about America’s oceans shouldn’t be guided by politics but instead by environmental standards that protect coastal ecosystems, then Congress should pass the Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act to ensure it. It’s not about enabling industry or blocking progress. It’s about ensuring that whoever makes decisions about our ocean future does so under smart rules.

That’s not a partisan position. It’s simply good governance — our oceans deserve nothing less.

Reggie Parosis senior director for public affairs at the Environmental Defense Action Fund, one of the world’s top nonprofit environmental advocacy organizations.

Maddie Voorhees is the U.S. aquaculture campaign director at the Environmental Defense Action Fund.

Tags

Aquaculture

Environment

MARA Act

Marine

oceans

Politics

Public trust

Science

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.