Activists ask Biden to revoke Trump-era order that streamlines aquaculture regs

More 175 fishing groups, food advocacy groups, environmental organizations and businesses in the United States are calling on President Joe Biden to revoke Trump’s Executive Order that would remove outdated and burdensome aquaculture regulations.

In an open letter to Biden on 6 April, the signatories say E.O. 13921 fast-tracks the development of “industrial aquaculture” in federal waters without Congressional oversight.

They worry this would “allow excess feed, fish waste, and antibiotics and other chemicals to flow into the surrounding ocean.”

The open letter calls for new measures to conserve ocean resources and invest in sustainable fishing methods and small-scale aquaculture systems, such as recirculating farms and low-input bivalve or seaweed mariculture “that stand to benefit local communities.”

The aquaculture industry lauded Trump’s EO, which was announced May 2020, as it will promote the competitiveness of American seafood. Industry players say the EO acknowledges aquaculture’s contribution to the US economy and its role in enhancing the quality of American lives.