A bill introduced in Congress in October aims to pave the way for offshore seafood farming in the Gulf, potentially bringing changes to Baldwin County’s long-established seafood businesses.

The Marine Aquaculture Research for America, or MARA Act, would create the nation's first coordinated research and assessment program for offshore fish farming, an industry that does not currently exist in U.S. federal waters.

Supporters say the bill is designed to fill key scientific gaps, streamline a regulatory process that can take a decade or more and bring U.S. offshore aquaculture in line with global standards. Currently, most seafood consumed in the United States is imported, including farmed fish from countries that have long-established aquaculture industries. Local leaders and industry advocates say the MARA Act could allow the U.S. to grow its own seafood more sustainably while supporting coastal economies.

Drue Banta Winters, campaign manager for Stronger America Through Seafood, said the absence of clear federal rules has prevented fish farms from operating domestically.

“There is not a single fish farm in U.S. federal waters, and that is because of two reasons,” she said. “One, there’s a lack of clear authority over aquaculture in federal waters, and two, it is a lengthy, complicated, expensive regulatory process to establish a farm.”

The MARA Act would create a structured research and assessment program run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, and the National Sea Grant College Program. The program would monitor new offshore farms for environmental impacts, ensure only native species are cultivated and confirm farms comply with existing laws, such as the Clean Water Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

“There’s no regulatory safeguards that are eliminated under the MARA Act. Clean Water Act permits, ESA requirements, Marine Mammal Protection Act compliance — those all still apply,” she said.

Beyond regulatory clarity, Winters said the bill could have real economic benefits for Baldwin County. Offshore aquaculture would provide a steady supply of product that local processors, distributors and support businesses could rely on year-round, rather than depending on the seasonal rhythms of wild fisheries.

“That means more year-round jobs,” she said. “Offshore aquaculture would support all of those businesses that are required to keep fisheries going — the welders, the ice houses, the docks, the processors. Having products year-round makes it possible to keep people employed in a way that wild fisheries alone can’t always do.”

Winters also emphasized the bill’s potential to strengthen infrastructure and workforce development. Grants included in the legislation could help working waterfronts modernize, and local colleges could develop aquaculture training programs to prepare the next generation of seafood professionals.

“I think the MARA Act holds great promise for the Gulf Coast writ large, and we should be thinking toward that economic development opportunity here in Baldwin County,” she said.

Chris Nelson, vice president of Bon Secour Fisheries, said his company has long focused on wild-caught seafood but sees aquaculture as a potential complement to existing Gulf fisheries.

“We are a 130-plus-year-old family business,” he said. “My great-grandfather started planting oysters in Bon Secour Bay and shipping oysters to Mobile. We have always been dependent on wild-caught products.”

Nelson said offshore aquaculture, when developed under research-based guidance, should not threaten traditional fisheries.

“I don’t think that it will,” he said. “Coastal fisheries will be unaffected. This will be in addition to, not instead of.”

He said increased domestic seafood production could create new onshore jobs in processing, distribution and retail.

“If it results in more seafood being produced, there will be more opportunity for people on land, at least, to work with that seafood,” he said.

He said domestic aquaculture could help meet growing demand.

“The quantity of seafood — wild-caught seafood — is going to be fairly stable and static going forward,” he said. “If we’re going to increase U.S. production, it will need to come from aquaculture.”

Both Winters and Nelson emphasized that Baldwin County’s and the Alabama Gulf Coast's existing ports, processing facilities and generational seafood knowledge position the region to benefit if federal research eventually supports commercial offshore farming.

While the bill was filed with bipartisan support from coastal states, no one in Congress from Alabama has added their signatures. U.S. Reps. Mike Ezell (R-MS), Ed Case (D-HI), Kat Cammack (R-FL) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the MARA Act, and a companion bill in the Senate was led by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

The proposal has faced opposition from environmental groups and fishermen’s organizations who argue it could harm wild fisheries and coastal communities.

Don’t Cage Our Oceans, a national coalition, says the bill would fast-track industrial-scale fish farms under the guise of research without proper oversight or public input. Stakeholders warn that offshore fish farms could increase pollution, spread disease to wild populations and disrupt regional food systems.

Local seafood advocates have expressed concern that the bill prioritizes corporate interests over small, family-run fishing operations that have sustained Gulf communities for generations.

Other opponents say the potential environmental and economic risks have not been adequately studied and that Congress should consider long-term consequences before allowing large-scale offshore aquaculture. Some stakeholders compare industrial offshore farms to land-based Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), highlighting the possibility of waste discharge, overuse of wild fish for feed and genetic impacts on local fish stocks.

While the MARA Act is still under consideration in the House, the debate emphasizes competing visions for the future of Gulf seafood. Supporters say it offers regulatory clarity, economic and job growth and sustainable expansion of domestic seafood production, while opponents worry it could threaten wild fisheries, coastal ecosystems and local livelihoods.

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yaf8yf5n.