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Conservation engineering is a major element of the 1990 

 amendments to the Magnuson Act underscored in the strategic Plan. 

 We must continue to improve devices to screen out protected and 

 other non-target species from fishing gear, such as turtle and 

 finfish excluder devices, develop gear to keep out Pacific 

 halibut in the Alaskan trawl fisheries, and protect undersized 

 swordfish taken on longlines. 



The Plan's sixth element calls for the acceleration of the growth 

 of United States marine aguaculture. Marine aquaculture has the 

 potential to provide new sources of income and employment in 

 rural areas, as demonstrated by the Atlantic salmon in eastern 

 Maine. It can provide consumers a reliable alternate domestic 

 supply without reducing the market for capture fisheries. Marine 

 aquaculture may also help to restore depleted commercial 

 fisheries by reducing fishing pressure on those stocks. The 

 increased development of marine aquaculture can be conducted in 

 harmony with the sensitive coastal zone. The Plan calls for the 

 development of environmentally-acceptable, cost-effective 

 commercial aquaculture systems. 



Despite an earlier decision to de-emphasize aquaculture, the 

 expertise and infrastructure still exists at NOAA. NOAA 

 continues to help marine based aquaculture grow. Yet, we are 

 falling behind the rest of the world as China, Taiwan, Ecuador, 

 Norway, Canada, and France expand production of high-quality 



