Marine aquaculture provides a domestic source of economically and environmentally sustainable seafood that complements and supports our wild fisheries production.

The global level of wild-caught fisheries has been relatively steady for more than 20 years, even as the human population continues to grow. Today, the United States imports roughly 70 to 85 percent of the seafood we eat and about half of this imported seafood is farmed.

Global and domestic demand for seafood is poised to grow. Even as we maintain and rebuild our wild fisheries, we cannot meet increasing domestic demand for seafood alone through wild-caught fisheries. Shellfish, finfish, and seaweed farming is a steady source of safe, nutritious, sustainable seafood for consumers in the United States and worldwide.