Alaska state representative Mary Peltola has this week introduced a bill which would restrict the development and construction of offshore aquaculture operations in the Federal waters of the state.
Through her Domestic Seafood Production Act, Representative Peltola aims to support coastal communities which rely on marine resources for food and economic security, helping them to develop their local seafood networks. If the bill is passed into legislation, it would prohibit the development of offshore aquaculture unless congressional authorisation is given, citing potential impacts on local ecosystems for this restriction.
Representative Peltola said, according to Native News, that her bill will support the many Alaskan communities which rely on seafood production, strengthening the domestic seafood supply chain for small-scale producers.
Whilst there will no doubt be backlash against the bill, it has already received the support of coastal community members, who seem to agree with the notion that the legislation will the strengthen domestic seafood supply.
“My community has been fishing for sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay for hundreds of years. I started at nine years old on my grandfather’s boat. Our fish is high-quality, high-nutrition, and the best in the world. And it’s very sustainable. I know that word is thrown around a lot now, but it truly is. Now I’ve been told there’s a glut of our fish, and they can’t be sold. Yet people say they want to build more fish farms because there’s not enough food. That doesn’t compute with me,” said Ronalda Angasan, a commercial fisherwoman and agriculture programme director at Alaska Village Initiatives.
