Aquaculture can supply much-needed American jobs, but not if the US doesn’t support an industry

As states work to carefully reopen and people are dining outside during this pandemic, seafood is a summer delicacy that’s in high demand at America’s restaurants. Despite that demand, our nation must rely on other countries for plentiful supplies of seafood. In fact, the United States imports 90% of its seafood consumption.

Offshore aquaculture (the process of cultivating seafood in pens submerged in the ocean through sustainable, science-based method) is successfully producing salmon, shellfish, tilapia — you name it. But it’s all happening overseas. There are hundreds of seafood, aqua feed, and aquaculture industry operations from California to Kansas to Maine, just waiting for the chance to produce American-made fish.