Growing Seafood: NOAA’s Aquaculture Program
Danielle Blacklock Director, Office of Aquaculture
U.S. Department of Commerce
December 4, 2025
The U.S. consumes ~$15 billion worth of imported farmed seafood annually.
The total value of U.S. aquaculture production <$2 billion.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 **EAT3 servings of seafood per week** The Scientific Foundations for dietary GuidelinesAppendices pg 383
E.O. 13921 Promoting
American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth
NOAA Leads NEPA
Aquaculture Permitting Guide
Grants and Financial Assistance Guide
Aquaculture Opportunity Areas
National Aquaculture Development Plan
E. O. 14276 Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness
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Section 4: (d) “The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall develop and implement an America First Seafood Strategy to promote production, marketing, sale, and export of United States fishery and aquaculture products and strengthen domestic processing capacity.”
NOAA’s Aquaculture Program
NOAA Aquaculture Resources for the Caribbean
Kieley Hurff,Aquaculture Coordinator
Southeast Regional Office
Andrew Richard,Aquaculture Coordinator
Southeast Regional Office
Work We Do
NOAA Aquaculture Strategic Plan
NOAA Aquaculture Research
Northwest Fisheries Science Center
- Finfish
- Shellfish
- Recirc. Aq. Sys.
- Genetics/Genomics
- Environmental Interactions & Stressors
- Native Species Enhancement
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
- Genetic Risk
Alaska Fisheries Science Center
- Macroalgae
- Shellfish- including hatchery
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
- Shellfish & Microalgae
- Environmental Interactions
- Breeding and Husbandry
- Engineering
NOS National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science
- Siting analysis
- ESA interactions simulator
- Water quality modeling
- Benthic modeling
Marine Spatial Planning and Data Development
AOA Identification
NOAA identified 13 Aquaculture
Opportunity Areas totaling more than 21,000 acres in federal waters
Southern California AOAs
Gulf of America
Alaska AOAs
NOAA Aquaculture Highlights 2025
NOAA as an Investor
NOAA Aquaculture Funding Programs
Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) funds projects that lead to the promotion, development and marketing of U.S. fisheries
Sea Grant aquaculture specific funding competitions
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) seeks highly innovative products with excellent commercial potential
Fisheries Finance Program loan program available to aquaculture
Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Marketing (CIFARM)
● Marine Aquaculture Demonstration
○ Implementing pilot projects and offshore test beds
○ NOAA aquaculture opportunity areas
● Aquaculture Engineering and Technology Development
○ Engineering and gear innovations
○ Engineering to minimize protected species interactions
● Environmental Observations, Modeling, Forecasting, and Aquaculture Management
○ Technologies and frameworks for cost-effective environmental compliance monitoring
○ Tools for farm management
● Risk Management and Vulnerability Assessment
○ Disease prevention and biosecurity measures
○ Risk assessment for investment and insurance
○ Increasing profitability through risk reduction
● Seafood Markets
○ Market research and economic analysis
○ Market strength and business planning
○ Market access and waterfront infrastructure
○ Community integration and market acceptance
There is more than NOAA…
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service