White House effort to boost marine aquaculture raises environmental concerns

The United States imports far more seafood than it produces, creating a trade deficit that reached $16.8 billion in 2017. Now, the Trump administration aims to boost domestic fishing and aquaculture in federal waters. The plan is drawing plaudits from industry, but darts from conservationists.

The directive to federal agencies, announced last week by the White House and to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, would speed permits and environmental reviews for new aquaculture farms. It also instructs federally chartered regional fisheries councils to look for ways to cut bureaucratic red tape and increase catches of wild fish.