41 



those agencies which have the interest and expertise necessary to ensure a suc- 

 cessful program. 



JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE ON AQUACULTURE 



The bill would continue authorization of the Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture 

 (JSA), permanently chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture, to increase the overall 

 effectiveness and productivity of Federal aquaculture research, transfer, and assist- 

 ance programs. However, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Sec- 

 retaries of Commerce and the Interior, would be charged with coordinating and im- 

 plementing a national policy for private aquaculture. We are carefully reviewing 

 this section and expect to provide comments and express a position shortly. 



PRIVATE AQUACULTURE AS A FORM OF AGRICULTURE 



Section 2(b)(2) would establish private aquaculture as a form of while section 

 8(b)(2)(B) suggests that cultivated aquatic animals and plants be treated as live- 

 stock and crops, respectively. The Department recognizes that the intent is to qual- 

 ify aquaculture for grants or other financial assistance that USDA makes available 

 to crop or livestock producers. However, the Department wishes to point out that 

 should this definition be adopted, the development of marine aquaculture in public 

 waters will continue to be influenced primarily by regulations which are adminis- 

 tered by Federal agencies other than USDA. Examples are the Magnuson Fishery 

 Conservation and Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mam- 

 mal Protection Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. 



ROLE OF NOAA IN AQUACULTURE 



The Department recommends that NOAA play a significant role in developing a 

 national research agenda for private aquaculture of marine and anadromous spe- 

 cies, and that this agenda should be tailored specifically to regional needs. The 

 agenda should be reviewed and approved by the Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture 

 as part of an effort to develop a national aquaculture plan for private aquaculture. 



Thank you for the opportunity to comment on S. 1288. 



Pacific Coast Oyster Growers Association, 



Olympia, WA, November 9, 1993. 

 Hon. Patrick Leahy, 



Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, U.S. Senate, Wash- 

 ington, DC 20510. 



Dear Chairman Leahy: The purpose of this letter is to urge your support for 

 S. 1288, reauthorizing the National Aquaculture Act. Aquaculture holds great prom- 

 ise in this country. It is a nonconsumptive method of producing animal proteins, 

 which is becoming increasingly important to both policymakers and consumers. 



Surveys we have done in the shellfish industry indicate that consumers are learn- 

 ing to incorporate public policy considerations into their purchasing decisions. The 

 nominal space and resource requirements of producing aquaculture and mariculture 

 products place the industry in a strong position compared with all other animal pro- 

 teins in the marketplace. 



Still, the industry is young. We have not had the benefit of centuries of research. 

 We have not had the benefit of centuries of market development. And we have not 

 had the benefit of a mature, "fully-evolved" regulatory structure. As a new industry, 

 aquaculture has some catching up to do. S. 1288 will assist greatly in that eflbrt. 



The Pacific Coast Oyster Growers Association is the largest shellfish industry 

 trade organization in the Nation. Founded in 1946, PCOGA represents 120 member 

 companies in Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and British Columbia, Can- 

 ada. Our members produce almost 40 percent of the Nation's oysters, in addition 

 to several species of clams, mussels, and scallops. Our intensive farming techniques 

 have made the West Coast the number one oyster producing region of the United 

 States. 



Thank you for your interest in this inyportant issue. Please feel free to call should 

 you have questions or require additional information. 

 Sincerely, 



(Signed) TiM SMITH, 



Executive Director. 



