[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12826-12827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03345]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID-0648-XD729]
Draft Overview of the National Aquaculture Development Plan and
Draft Strategic Plan for Aquaculture Economic Development
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: On behalf of the National Science and Technology Council
(NSTC)'s Subcommittee on Aquaculture (SCA), NMFS announces the
availability of the draft Overview of the National Aquaculture
Development Plan (NADP) and draft Strategic Plan for Aquaculture
[[Page 12827]]
Economic Development (Economic Development Plan) for public comment.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by April 5, 2024 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: You may download the draft Overview of the NADP and the
draft Economic Development Plan at https://www.ars.usda.gov/sca/.
Submitting Comments: Interested persons may submit comments by any
of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic public comments
to [email protected].
Mail: Gabriela McMurtry, Attn: Aquaculture Economic Development
Plan Comments, Office of Policy, F/AQ, 1315 East-West Highway, 14th
Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Comments sent by any other method, to
any other address or individual, or received after the end of the
comment person, may not be considered by the SCA. All comments received
are a part of the public record and will generally be made available
for public viewing upon request. Please note that personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or other sensitive information submitted by the sender can
be publicly accessible.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deputy Director, Office of
Aquaculture, NOAA Fisheries--David O'Brien, [email protected],
(301) 427-8337. Research Agricultural Economist, USDA, Economic
Research Service--Christopher G. Davis, [email protected],
(225) 253-4580. Fishery Policy Analyst, Office of Policy, NOAA
Fisheries--Gabriela McMurtry, [email protected], (204) 293-
0570.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. national policy on aquaculture
states that Congress declares that aquaculture has the potential for
reducing the U.S. trade deficit in fisheries products, for augmenting
existing commercial and recreational fisheries, and for producing other
renewable resources, thereby assisting the United States in meeting its
future food needs and contributing to the solution of the world
resource problems. It is, therefore, in the national interest, and it
is the national policy, to encourage the development of aquaculture in
the United States. (National Aquaculture Act of 1980, (Pub. L. 96-362,
94 Stat. 1198, 16 U.S.C. 2801, et seq.)
The SCA, previously known as the Interagency Working Group on
Aquaculture and the Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture, is a statutory
subcommittee that operates under the Committee on Environment of the
NSTC under the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive
Office of the President. It is co-chaired by the Department of
Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of the Interior, and
the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Members
include the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Army
Corps of Engineers, Department of the Interior, Food and Drug
Administration, Department of State, Environmental Protection Agency,
and the Office of Management and Budget. The SCA serves as the Federal
interagency coordinating group to increase the overall effectiveness
and productivity of Federal aquaculture research, regulation,
technology transfer, and assistance programs. This interagency
coordinating group has been functioning since before the National
Aquaculture Act was signed into law in 1980.
Originally published in 1983, NADP encouraged domestic aquaculture
development. While the National Aquaculture Act called for periodic
updating, a comprehensive update to the 1983 NADP has not yet been
completed. Nearly four decades have passed since the NADP, and the
original NADP does not capture the progress the Federal Government and
the U.S. aquaculture community have made to adopt and promote
sustainable aquaculture growth and uses nor guidance for next steps for
the Federal Government in that evolution.
During the past several years, the SCA has invited public input and
then published strategic plans covering scientific and technological
advances and outlining efficiencies for the Federal regulatory
framework for aquaculture in the United States. Using the same process
of public engagement, the Economic Development Task Force of the SCA
prepared the draft Economic Development Plan using input from industry
and other stakeholders and in collaboration with relevant experts from
numerous Federal agencies.
The draft Economic Development Plan outlines actions that Federal
agencies can take within their existing statutory authorities and
budgetary resources to support a robust, resilient, globally
competitive, and environmentally sustainable domestic aquaculture
sector. The Economic Development Plan is intended to support both the
viability and expansion of existing operations and to encourage new
entrants, addressing needs across the seafood supply chain and diverse
production systems. The proposed actions serve as points of
intersection between climate-smart food production, private-public
partnerships, blue economy, community resilience and health, workforce
development, working waterfronts, urban and rural development, and
seafood supply chains (both farmed and wild-caught). The Economic
Development Plan complements two other finalized thematic strategic
plans--the Strategic Plan to Enhance Regulatory Efficiency in
Aquaculture and the National Strategic Plan for Aquaculture Research.
The Overview to the NADP serves as introduction and provides policy
context to the three thematic strategic plans. Once finalized, together
these four documents will comprise an updated NADP that provides a
holistic framework describing how federal agencies are advancing the
contributions of aquaculture to support public health and nutrition,
resilient communities, a strong economy, and a healthy planet.
These draft plans are being issued under the following authorities:
National Aquaculture Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-362, 94 Stat. 1198, 16
U.S.C. 2801, et seq.) and the National Aquaculture Improvement Act of
1985 (Pub. L. 99-198, 99 Stat. 1641).
Next Steps
The public is encouraged to review and comment on the draft
Economic Development Plan and the draft Overview to the NADP. After the
public comment period ends, the SCA will consider and address the
comments received before publishing the final work plan.
Dated: February 13, 2024.
David O'Brien,
Acting Director, Office of Aquaculture, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-03345 Filed 2-16-24; 8:45 am]
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