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NOAA Finfish Aquaculture Research

Marine aquaculture is part of the agency’s strategy for economic and environmental resiliency in coastal communities. Marine aquaculture operations provide a year-round source of high-quality jobs and economic opportunities in coastal communities that augment seasonal tourism and commercial fishing. NOAA has a long and rich tradition in aquaculture and has been working on aquaculture-related issues since it's predecessor agency, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, engaged in stock enhancement of salmon and marine fish and experimental oyster farming more than five decades ago. In the United States, aquaculture technologies and management practices have continued to evolve through lessons-learned as well as through significant public and private research focused on bringing greater efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness to the source of half of the seafood eaten on the planet. Aquaculture research also emphasizes habitat-related work for stock enhancement and restoration.

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Man checks on oyster bed at Wellfleet Oyster Farm Wellfleet Massachusetts Oyster Farm. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Adriane Michaelis
Dr. Richard Spinrad, NOAA Administrator, Dick Jones of Blue Ocean Mariculture, and Janet Coit, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator at Seafood Expo North America in March 2022 NOAA Administrator, Dr. Richard Spinrad, Dick Jones of Blue Ocean Mariculture, and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator, Janet Coit, at Seafood Expo North America in March 2022. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Six grilled Hog Island oysters drizzled in barbecue chipotle butter, on a serving dish with two small forks. Grilled oysters with BBQ chipotle butter. Credit: Hog Island Oyster Co.
Oysters A researcher travels to deploy underwater video cameras to assess the ecological role and potential habitat benefits of a shellfish farm in Washington State.