Reauthorization of the National Aquaculture Act is important not 

 only to Hawaii, but 29 other States that produce two dozen species 

 offish, shellfish and aquatic plants for commercial production. 



S. 1288 is a bill for aquaculture. The legislation is designed to 

 promote Federal policies that will allow the United States to be- 

 come more competitive in the expanding world market for aqua- 

 culture products. As I said, there are 13 Senators who are now co- 

 sponsoring this bill, and with the support of this committee, this 

 bill can become a roadmap for America's future success in aqua- 

 culture. 



This bill addresses some of the most pressing needs of aqua- 

 culture farmers: advanced research, credit assistance, disaster as- 

 sistance, market data, conservation assistance and improved policy 

 coordination among Federal agencies. Industry representatives told 

 me before this hearing began that the coordination is already be- 

 ginning to grow. 



For too long, aquaculture farmers have suffered from the lack of 

 a clear Government-wide policy to promote this important sector of 

 agriculture. Aquaculture has also been limited by an inability to 

 participate in many of the farm programs available to dry land ag- 

 riculture. The time has come for the Federal Government to recog- 

 nize that just because the crop you harvest has fins and gills in- 

 stead of hooves and horns, it is still agriculture, and you deserve 

 to be treated just like any other farmer who works hard for a liv- 

 ing. 



Efforts to expand the U.S. aquaculture industry will not go 

 unrewarded. The current U.S. trade deficit for seafood stands at 

 $3.3 billion. If we could reduce our seafood trade deficit by one- 

 third through expanded aquaculture production, we would create 

 25,000 new jobs. That is what this aquaculture bill is about, creat- 

 ing jobs and putting Americans to work in new, promising indus- 

 tries. 



Nearly one-quarter of global seafood consumption will come from 

 fish farming by the year 2000, as the chairman mentioned. Based 

 on population projections and assuming stable wild fishery har- 

 vests, world aquaculture production must double by the end of this 

 decade and increase seven-fold in the next 35 years to keep pace 

 with rising demand for seafood. The question we must ask is 

 whether U.S. aquaculture will share in the explosive growth. 



S. 1288 was drafted with one basic principle in mind, namely, the 

 bill should assist all — and I stress, all — aquaculture farmers equal- 

 ly. It would be wrong to promote any segment of the industry, 

 whether it is marine or freshwater aquaculture farming or a par- 

 ticular species of fish or shellfish more than another. As the bill 

 moves through the committee process, I urge you to maintain this 

 principle of fairness. 



In the four months since the bill was introduced, I have received 

 comments from national. State and regional aquaculture associa- 

 tions and from individual farmers, as well. These comments are 

 overwhelmingly favorable. I will share them with the committee 

 following the hearing. 



One area that generated considerable interest is the disaster pro- 

 gram for aquaculture in section 11 of this bill. After analyzing 



