[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]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P