Posted on: Friday, June 10, 2005

EDITORIAL
Aquaculture bill can energize new industry

A Bush administration bill to open federal ocean waters to aquaculture is a welcome first step to bring the U.S. into a burgeoning industry, one in which Hawai'i is perfectly positioned to play a lead role.

The National Offshore Aquaculture Act would allow fish-farming operations up to 200 miles off the national coastline. The measure would begin the process of establishing permits and environmental regulations to make sure offshore operations would not interfere with fisheries conservation and management.

The U.S. lags woefully behind other countries in developing its aquaculture industry, so there's much work to do.

Hawai'i is ideally positioned to play a leading role, as one of the first states to begin open-ocean fish farming in nearshore waters. Two companies already are heading down that road: Cates International is raising moi, or Pacific threadfin, in submerged cages off the 'Ewa coast. And just two months ago, Kona Blue Water Farms began culturing the amberjack, or kahala, using similar underwater cages off the Kona coast. Others are also seeking state permits for farming tuna.

Both the Oceanic Institute and the UH ocean sciences program are also key players. Aquaculture, of course, is also an important part of the state's growing life sciences industry. There's much to learn about the best ways of propagating different species and how to minimize environmental effects, disease and other potential problems — knowledge that is necessary in order to develop appropriate regulations.

In Hawai'i, that learning process has only begun, but aquaculture extension specialists and researchers are tracking issues such as impact on water quality and refining methods for successful farming enterprises.

Hawai'i has a prime opportunity here. By accelerating our research and monitoring in these areas, we can be on the vanguard of a thriving global industry.