Deadline for Public Comment on Next Steps for NOAA AOAs - September 14

[kendall_barbery]

NOAA is seeking public input on regions of the country and relevant information to further the Aquaculture Opportunity Area identification process. 

Tune into a NOAA listening session on the Aquaculture Opportunity Area process August 13 and/or August 31. More details and registration found here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/event/public-listening-sessions-noaas-aquaculture-opportunity-area-process-request-information

[kendall_barbery]

Hi all: Monday, September 14 at 11:59 ET is the deadline for public comment on NOAA’s Request for Information (RFI) to collect information to help identify the next geographic region(s) of focus for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOA) identification (NOAA-NMFS-2026-2179-0001). 

Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) identification is a planning process, aimed at expanding economic opportunities in coastal and rural areas, and increasing seafood security. The goal of AOAs is to use a science-based, stakeholder driven approach to identify areas that could be suitable for future commercial aquaculture projects. Recently, NOAA completed a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Southern California, and an AOA Atlas for the Gulf of Alaska. Read more about NOAA’s AOA program here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/aquaculture/aquaculture-opportunity-areas. 

Now, NOAA is seeking public input on next steps for the AOA program and are asking the public to weigh in on these and other questions: 

• What regions of the country should next be considered for future AOAs? (New England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, U.S. Caribbean, Pacific Islands)
• Are there specific locations within those regions that should be considered for future AOAs? 
• Are there size limitations NOAA should consider for AOAs?

Find the full list of questions in the NOAA RFI, review public comments, or submit your own here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/NOAA-NMFS-2026-2179-0001. Or sign up for the last Public Listening Session on Monday, August 31 at 3:00 - 4:00 pm EDT (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/event/public-listening-sessions-noaas-aquaculture-opportunity-area-process-request-information)