Interpretive Summary: Testing the waters: the state of U.S. shellfish permitting regulations

By: Benjamin M Hurley, Kimberly L Oremus, Anna M Birkenbach

Implications

• Permitting and regulatory hurdles are still major barriers to aquaculture expansion.
• There are tradeoffs between improved regulatory efficiency/economic outcomes and environmental oversight.
• Existing approaches to shellfish permitting have received mixed criticisms, but identifying an optimal approach to permitting reform requires further research.

Aquaculture produces roughly half of the seafood consumed worldwide, yet in the United States, the industry remains strikingly limited relative to its potential capacity (Lester et al., 2021). At present, U.S. marine aquaculture (mariculture) consists mostly of small-scale shellfish farming within state waters, with some states boasting well-established shellfish industries and others having entered the industry in earnest only in the last decade. As states deploy a diverse range of strategies to foster and govern their nascent industries, their experiences can yield valuable insights as to how regulations can best balance industry growth with environmental protection.

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