55 



And the second option is to move further offshore. I alluded to 

 this in my testimony that NOAA should take the lead in developing 

 both the policy for leasing water columns and technology for mov- 

 ing into Federal waters 3 miles out and further, perhaps using 

 some interesting combinations of habitat enhancement and aqua- 

 culture to produce improved commercial fisheries opportunities and 

 true seafood farming opportunities. 



That is a bit longer range, but that is the kind of arenas that 

 NOAA should be planning to look at. 



Senator Kerry. Well, I would think that that kind of offshore 

 farming prospect also might be one of the most efficient and rapid 

 ways of guaranteeing stock replenishment. 



Dr. Sandifer. Senator, I will only speak for myself. I think it 

 will be, but I must tell you that a recent discussion amongst some 

 leading scientists in the Southeastern United States indicated that, 

 while this is where we might like to see things head, at least in 

 part for the future, at least over the next decade or two most of 

 us believe that marine aquaculture development is going take place 

 in the coastal zone. That is where the businesses can be now, that 

 is where the technology allows us to be now, that is where the con- 

 sumers are right now. So, we are going to have to deal with that 

 problem of coastal jurisdiction as well as the opportunities to even- 

 tually move further offshore as technology allows. 



Senator Kerry. Anybody else want to add to that? 



Mr. Garrison. I would like to just add that I agree with all the 

 previous comments there, and for NOAA and this committee to be 

 involved in aquaculture development, the one place where there is 

 a problem and it does need to be — you may start from the highest 

 levels of getting the separate agencies that are involved — Com- 

 merce, Interior, Agriculture — to define their roles exactly regarding 

 aquaculture and how each one can support private aquaculture de- 

 velopment. 



And I believe from that point that needs to happen right on down 

 through somehow giving States incentives to go along with policy 

 that is formulated at that level so that we can have a coordinated 

 policy for aquaculture development which includes all of the regu- 

 latory and permitting problems that are happening now where 

 some agencies have no policy at all or all of the sudden another 

 agency pops up and says this is going to be our jurisdiction here 

 now. 



Senator Kerry. I understand. 



Mr. Dill, you cited in your testimony unsafe or unclean farming 

 practices with respect to shrimp and particularly the experience 

 in — was it China where they had 1.2 billion dollars' worth of 

 shrimp damage as a consequence of disease? What are we doing to 

 guarantee that we do not replicate that situation or that it does not 

 occur? Is it sufficient? 



Mr. Dill. I think a combination of what Dr. Sandifer refers to 

 in terms of licensing and quarantine capability in terms of the im- 

 portation of foreign food stock or seed and the development as has 

 been done in the broiler industry and in the swine industry of high 

 health animals are the means of turning a very negative situation 

 into a very positive situation for the United States. 



