Background
Executive Order 13921, Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth (issued May 7, 2020), instructed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to lead a cross-agency, public planning effort to identify ten Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs).
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), on behalf of NOAA, selected the federal waters in the Gulf of America* as one of the first geographic regions in which to identify AOAs.
The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science initiated a spatial planning process to assist agency decision makers in identifying areas that may be suitable for locating AOAs as directed by Executive Order 13921. This process was based on spatial suitability modeling that included data layers relevant to administrative boundaries, national security (i.e., military), navigation and transportation, energy and industry infrastructure, commercial and recreational fishing, natural and cultural resources, and oceanography (i.e., non-living resources).
This spatial modeling approach was specific to the planning goal of identifying discrete areas between 500 and 2,000 acres that met the industry and engineering requirements of depth and distance from shore and that may be suitable for all types of aquaculture development including the cultivation of finfish, macroalgae, shellfish, or a combination of species. This work resulted in An Aquaculture Opportunity Atlas for the U.S. Gulf (Atlas), which identified nine options for potential AOA locations or “AOA options”.
The Atlas is a technical document providing peer-reviewed geospatial planning information that was used as one source of information to assist the agency in identifying one or more AOAs.
NOAA Fisheries then published a Notice of Intent on June 1, 2022 announcing its intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and conduct public scoping meetings. This initiated a 60-day public scoping period for the PEIS, which ended on August 1, 2022. Three virtual public scoping meetings were held on June 8, June 16 and July 12, 2022 at which members of the public could submit comments verbally.
To find a copy of the presentation that was given at the meeting, along with transcripts and audio recordings of all three meetings, please visit the Public Involvement page.
Written comments were accepted by mail and electronically through the www.regulations.gov website. You can view the written comments that were submitted by visiting: https://www.regulations.gov/search/comment?filter=NOAA-NMFS-2022-0044
On May 2, 2023, NOAA Fisheries published a Public Scoping Summary that provides an overview of the 216 verbal and written submissions it received during a 60-day public scoping period in summer 2022. The summary also includes an appendix with all of the verbatim verbal and written submissions.
NOAA Fisheries and its cooperating agencies considered the public comments received, along with the best available science and any new information related to ocean uses in or around the nine potential locations for AOAs in the Gulf of America, in order to make a determination about how many and which locations would be carried forward and fully analyzed as alternatives in the draft PEIS.
Of those nine locations from the Atlas, locations E-1, E-3 and E-3 off the coast of Florida were eliminated from further detailed study in the draft PEIS due to potential conflicts between future commercial aquaculture development and current military readiness and training activities. Additionally, location C-11 off the coast of Louisiana was eliminated from further detailed study in the draft PEIS due to the location’s overlap with important shrimp trawling grounds.
The remaining locations carried forward and analyzed as AOA Alternatives in the draft PEIS (in addition to the No Action Alternative) were locations W-1, W-4 and W-8 off the coast of Texas, and C-3 and C-13 off the coast of Louisiana. Based on the analysis conducted in the draft PEIS, NOAA Fisheries identified Alternatives 2-5 (W-1, W-4, W-8 and C-3) as the Preferred Alternatives, potentially suitable for finfish, shellfish, macroalgae or multi-species aquaculture operations.
On November 22, 2024, NOAA Fisheries published a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in U.S. Federal Waters of the Gulf of Mexico*, initiating a 90-day public review and comment period which concluded on February 20, 2025. During this time, the public had the opportunity to provide written comments. The public can view all written comments provided on the DPEIS by visiting: https://www.regulations.gov/document/NOAA-NMFS-2024-0135-0001/comment.
The public also had the opportunity to provide verbal comments during the public review and comment period. Three virtual public meetings were held on December 17, 2024 and January 15 and February 13, 2025, at which members of the public could submit verbal comments. To view the transcripts from those virtual public meetings, please visit the Public Involvement page.
All public comments received will be considered prior to publication of a final programmatic environmental impact statement. AOAs may only be identified by NOAA Fisheries after completion of a final programmatic environmental impact statement and issuance of a decision.
Timeline (Last updated September 19, 2025)
June 1, 2022
Notice of Intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement published
August 1, 2022
Public scoping and public comment period concluded
May 2, 2023
Public Scoping Summary published
November 22, 2024
Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement published
February 20, 2025
Public review and comment period for the draft PEIS concluded
September 19, 2025
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Decision Document published
For More Information
Contact Andrew Richard, Southeast Regional Aquaculture Coordinator, at nmfs.ser.aquaculture@noaa.gov or (727) 551-5709.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf may call the Federal Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
Federal Register Notices
Notice of Availability - FPEIS (90 FR 45206, 2025)
Notice of Availability - DPEIS (89 FR 92681, 2024)
Notice of Intent to Prepare PEIS (87 FR 33124, 2022)
*Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” (Jan. 20, 2025), directs that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. On August 7, 2025, NOAA Fisheries and the National Ocean Service amended regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations to reflect the renaming. The name change did not result in any changes to, and had no effect on the applicability or enforceability of, any existing regulations. This website continues to use “Gulf of Mexico” when quoting statutes or previously published materials.
