II

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 678

To provide for the coordination and implementation of a national aquaculture

policy for the private sector by the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish

an aquaculture development and research program, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

APRIL 5, 1995

Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr.

FEINGOLD, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. JOHNSTON, and Mr. BREAUX) introduced

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee

on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

A BILL

To provide for the coordination and implementation of a

national aquaculture policy for the private sector by the

Secretary of Agriculture, to establish an aquaculture development and research program, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS; REF4 ERENCES.

5 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

6 ‘‘National Aquaculture Development, Research, and Pro7 motion Act of 1995’’.
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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of

2 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents; references.

Sec. 2. Findings and purpose.

Sec. 3. Definitions.

Sec. 4. National aquaculture development plan.

Sec. 5. National Aquaculture Information Center; assignment of new programs.

Sec. 6. Coordination with the aquaculture industry.

Sec. 7. National policy for private aquaculture.

Sec. 8. Water quality assessment.

Sec. 9. Native American fishpond revitalization.

Sec. 10. Aquaculture education.

Sec. 11. Authorization of appropriations.

Sec. 12. Eligibility of aquaculture farmers for farm credit assistance.

Sec. 13. International aquaculture information and data collection.

Sec. 14. Aquaculture information network report.

Sec. 15. Voluntary certification of quality standards.

Sec. 16. Implementation report.

3 (c) REFERENCES TO NATIONAL AQUACULTURE ACT

4 OF 1980.—Except as otherwise expressly provided, when5 ever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in

6 terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other

7 provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to

8 a section or other provision of the National Aquaculture

9 Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.).

10 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

11 (a) FINDINGS.—Subsection (a) of section 2 (16

12 U.S.C. 2801(a)) is amended to read as follows:

13 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:

14 ‘‘(1) The wild harvest or capture of certain sea15 food species exceeds levels of optimum sustainable

16 yield, thereby making it more difficult to meet the

17 increasing demand for aquatic food.
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1 ‘‘(2) To satisfy the domestic market for aquatic

2 food, the United States imports more than 59 per3 cent of its seafood. This dependence on imports ad4 versely affects the national balance of payments and

5 contributes to the uncertainty of supplies and prod6 uct quality.

7 ‘‘(3) Although aquaculture currently contributes

8 approximately 16 percent by weight of world seafood

9 production, less than 9 percent by weight of current

10 United States seafood production results from aqua11 culture. As a result, domestic aquaculture produc12 tion has the potential for significant growth.

13 ‘‘(4) Aquaculture production of aquatic animals

14 and plants is a source of food, industrial materials,

15 pharmaceuticals, energy, and aesthetic enjoyment,

16 and can assist in the control and abatement of pollu17 tion.

18 ‘‘(5) The rehabilitation and enhancement of fish

19 and shellfish resources are desirable applications of

20 aquaculture technology.

21 ‘‘(6) The principal responsibility for the devel22 opment of aquaculture in the United States must

23 rest with the private sector.

24 ‘‘(7) Despite its potential, the development of

25 aquaculture in the United States has been inhibited
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1 by many scientific, economic, legal, and production

2 factors, such as—

3 ‘‘(A) inadequate credit;

4 ‘‘(B) limited research and development and

5 demonstration programs;

6 ‘‘(C) diffused legal jurisdiction;

7 ‘‘(D) inconsistent interpretations between

8 Federal agencies;

9 ‘‘(E) the lack of management information;

10 ‘‘(F) the lack of supportive policies of the

11 Federal Government;

12 ‘‘(G) the lack of therapeutic compounds for

13 treatment of the diseases of aquatic animals

14 and plants; and

15 ‘‘(H) the lack of reliable supplies of seed

16 stock.

17 ‘‘(8) Many areas of the United States are suit18 able for aquaculture, but are subject to land-use or

19 water-use management policies and regulations that

20 do not adequately consider the potential for aqua21 culture and may inhibit the development of aqua22 culture.

23 ‘‘(9) In 1990, the United States ranked only

24 tenth in the world in aquaculture production based

25 on total value of products.
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1 ‘‘(10) Despite the current and increasing im2 portance of private aquaculture to the United States

3 economy and to rural areas in the United States,

4 Federal efforts to nurture aquaculture development

5 have failed to keep pace with the needs of fish and

6 aquatic plant farmers.

7 ‘‘(11) The United States has a premier oppor8 tunity to expand existing aquaculture production

9 and develop new aquaculture industries to serve na10 tional needs and the global marketplace.

11 ‘‘(12) United States aquaculture provides

12 wholesome products for domestic consumers and

13 contributes significantly to employment opportunities

14 and the quality of life in rural areas in the United

15 States.

16 ‘‘(13) Since 1980, the United States trade defi17 cit in edible fishery products has increased by 48

18 percent, from $1,777,921,000 to $2,634,738,000 in

19 1991.

20 ‘‘(14) Aquaculture is poised to become a major

21 growth industry of the 21st century. With global

22 seafood demand projected to increase 70 percent by

23 2025, and harvests from capture fisheries stable or

24 declining, aquaculture would have to increase pro-
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1 duction by 700 percent, a total of 77 million metric

2 tons annually.

3 ‘‘(15) Private aquaculture production in the

4 United States has increased an average of 20 per5 cent by weight annually since 1980, and is one of

6 the fastest growing segments of United States and

7 world agriculture.

8 ‘‘(16) In 1990, private United States aqua9 culture production was 860,750,000 pounds, worth

10 $761,500,000, up from 203,178,000 pounds, worth

11 $191,977,000, in 1980.

12 ‘‘(17) Since 1960, per capita consumption of

13 aquatic foods in the United States has increased by

14 49 percent to 14.9 pounds in 1991, and could reach

15 20 pounds by the year 2000. Total United States

16 demand is projected to double by 2020.’’.

17 (b) PURPOSE.—Subsection (b) of section 2 (16

18 U.S.C. 2801(b)) is amended to read as follows:

19 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to pro20 mote aquaculture in the United States by—

21 ‘‘(1) declaring a national aquaculture policy;

22 ‘‘(2) establishing private aquaculture as a form

23 of agriculture;

24 ‘‘(3) establishing cultivated aquatic animals,

25 plants, microorganisms, and their products produced
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1 by private persons and moving in standard commod2 ity channels as agricultural livestock, crops, and

3 commodities;

4 ‘‘(4) establishing the Department as the lead

5 Federal agency for the development, implementation,

6 promotion, and coordination of national policy and

7 programs for private aquaculture by—

8 ‘‘(A) designating the Secretary as the per9 manent chairperson of a Federal interagency

10 aquaculture coordinating group;

11 ‘‘(B) assigning overall responsibility to the

12 Secretary for coordinating, developing, and car13 rying out policies and programs for private

14 aquaculture; and

15 ‘‘(C) authorizing the establishment of a

16 National Aquaculture Information Center with17 in the Department to support the United States

18 aquaculture industry; and

19 ‘‘(5) encouraging—

20 ‘‘(A) aquaculture activities and programs

21 in both the public and private sectors of the

22 economy of the United States;

23 ‘‘(B) the creation of new industries and job

24 opportunities related to aquaculture activities;
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1 ‘‘(C) the reduction of the fisheries trade

2 deficit; and

3 ‘‘(D) other national policy benefits deriving

4 from aquaculture activities.’’.

5 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

6 Section 3 (16 U.S.C. 2802) is amended—

7 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘the propaga8 tion’’ and all that follows through the period at the

9 end and inserting ‘‘the controlled cultivation of

10 aquatic plants, animals, and microorganisms.’’;

11 (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting before the pe12 riod at the end the following: ‘‘or microorganism’’;

13 (3) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through

14 (9) as paragraphs (9) through (11), respectively;

15 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and (6) as

16 paragraphs (6) and (7), respectively;

17 (5) by inserting after paragraph (4) the follow18 ing:

19 ‘‘(5) The term ‘Department’ means the United

20 States Department of Agriculture.’’; and

21 (6) by inserting before paragraph (9) (as redes22 ignated by paragraph (3)) the following:

23 ‘‘(8) The term ‘private aquaculture’ means the

24 controlled cultivation of aquatic plants, animals, and

25 microorganisms other than cultivation carried out by
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1 the Federal Government or any State or local gov2 ernment.’’.

3 SEC. 4. NATIONAL AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

4 Section 4 (16 U.S.C. 2803) is amended—

5 (1) in the second sentence of subsection (c)—

6 (A) in subparagraph (A), by adding ‘‘and’’

7 at the end;

8 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘;

9 and’’ and inserting a period; and

10 (C) by striking subparagraph (C);

11 (2) in the second sentence of subsection (d), by

12 striking ‘‘Secretaries determine’’ and inserting ‘‘Sec13 retary, in consultation with the other Secretaries,

14 determines’’;

15 (3) in subsection (e)—

16 (A) by striking ‘‘Secretaries’’ and inserting

17 ‘‘Secretary’’; and

18 (B) by inserting ‘‘and in consultation with

19 the other Secretaries and representatives of

20 other Federal agencies’’ after ‘‘coordinating

21 group’’; and

22 (4) by adding at the end the following:

23 ‘‘(f) ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN AQUACULTURE PRO24 GRAMS.—Not later than December 31, 1995, the Sec25 retary, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce
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1 and the Secretary of the Interior, shall submit to Congress

2 a report evaluating the actions taken in accordance with

3 subsection (d) with respect to the Plan, and making rec4 ommendations for updating and modifying the Plan. The

5 report shall also contain a compendium on Federal regula6 tions relating to aquaculture.’’.

7 SEC. 5. NATIONAL AQUACULTURE INFORMATION CENTER;

8 ASSIGNMENT OF NEW PROGRAMS.

9 Section 5 (16 U.S.C. 2804) is amended—

10 (1) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ‘‘Secretar11 ies deem’’ and inserting ‘‘Secretary, in consultation

12 with the other Secretaries, considers’’;

13 (2) in subsection (c)(1)(B)—

14 (A) by striking ‘‘Secretary shall—’’ and in15 serting ‘‘Secretary—’’;

16 (B) by striking clause (i) and inserting the

17 following:

18 ‘‘(i) may establish, within the Department,

19 within the Agricultural Research Service, a Na20 tional Aquaculture Information Center that

21 shall—

22 ‘‘(I) serve as a repository and clear23 inghouse for the information collected

24 under subparagraph (A) and other provi25 sions of this Act;
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1 ‘‘(II) carry out a program to notify

2 organizations, institutions, and individuals

3 known to be involved in aquaculture of the

4 existence of the Center and the kinds of in5 formation that the Center can make avail6 able to the public; and

7 ‘‘(III) make available, on request, in8 formation described in subclause (I) (in9 cluding information collected under sub10 section (e));’’;

11 (C) in clause (ii)—

12 (i) by inserting ‘‘shall’’ before ‘‘ar13 range’’; and

14 (ii) by striking the comma and insert15 ing a semicolon; and

16 (D) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘shall’’ be17 fore ‘‘conduct’’;

18 (3) in the first sentence of subsection (d), by

19 striking ‘‘Interior,,’’ and inserting ‘‘Interior,’’; and

20 (4) by adding at the end the following:

21 ‘‘(e) ASSIGNMENT OF NEW PROGRAMS.—In consulta22 tion with representatives of the United States aquaculture

23 industry and in coordination with the Secretary of the In24 terior, the Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other

25 appropriate Federal agencies, the Secretary may assess
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1 Federal aquatic animal health programs and make rec2 ommendations as to the appropriate assignment to Fed3 eral agencies of new programs, initiatives, and activities

4 in support of aquaculture and resource stewardship and

5 management.’’.

6 SEC. 6. COORDINATION WITH THE AQUACULTURE INDUS7 TRY.

8 Section 6(b) (16 U.S.C. 2805(b)) is amended—

9 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the

10 end;

11 (2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at

12 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and

13 (3) by adding at the end the following:

14 ‘‘(7) in order to facilitate improved communica15 tion and interaction among aquaculture producers,

16 the aquaculture community, the Federal Govern17 ment, and the coordinating group, establish a work18 ing relationship with national organizations, com19 modity associations, and professional societies rep20 resenting aquaculture interests.’’.

21 SEC. 7. NATIONAL POLICY FOR PRIVATE AQUACULTURE.

22 The Act (16 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) is amended—

23 (1) by redesignating sections 7 through 11 as

24 sections 12 through 16, respectively; and

25 (2) by inserting after section 6 the following:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 7. NATIONAL POLICY FOR PRIVATE AQUACULTURE.

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation

3 with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Inte4 rior, and the heads of other agencies, as appropriate, shall

5 coordinate and implement a national policy for private

6 aquaculture in accordance with this section.

7 ‘‘(b) DEPARTMENT AQUACULTURE PLAN.—

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop

9 and implement a Department Aquaculture Plan (re10 ferred to in this section as the ‘plan’) for a unified

11 Department aquaculture program to support the de12 velopment of private United States aquaculture.

13 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS OF PLAN.—The plan shall

14 address—

15 ‘‘(A) individual agency programs related to

16 aquaculture in the Department that are consist17 ent with Department programs applied to other

18 agricultural programs, livestock, crops, prod19 ucts, and commodities under the jurisdiction of

20 Department agencies;

21 ‘‘(B) the treatment of cultivated aquatic

22 animals as livestock and cultivated aquatic

23 plants as agricultural crops; and

24 ‘‘(C) means for effective coordination and

25 implementation of aquaculture activities and

26 programs within the Department, including in-
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1 dividual agency commitments of personnel and

2 resources.

3 ‘‘(3) DEADLINE.—Not later than 1 year after

4 the date of enactment of the National Aquaculture

5 Development, Research, and Promotion Act of 1995,

6 the Secretary shall submit the plan to Congress.

7 ‘‘(4) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the

8 date of the submission of the plan pursuant to para9 graph (3), and annually thereafter, the Secretary

10 shall report to Congress on actions taken to imple11 ment the plan during the year preceding the date of

12 the report.

13 ‘‘(5) NATIONAL AQUACULTURE INFORMATION

14 CENTER.—

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out sec16 tion 5, the Secretary may maintain and support

17 a National Aquaculture Information Center (re18 ferred to in this paragraph as the ‘Center’) as

19 a repository for information on national and

20 international aquaculture.

21 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC ACCESS.—Information in the

22 Center shall be made available to the public.

23 ‘‘(C) INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE.—The

24 head of the Center shall arrange with foreign

25 nations for the exchange of information relating
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1 to aquaculture and shall support a translation

2 service.

3 ‘‘(D) SUPPORT.—The Center shall provide

4 direct support to the coordinating group.

5 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT

6 PLAN.—

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after

8 the date of enactment of the National Aquaculture

9 Development, Research, and Promotion Act of 1995,

10 the Secretary shall revise the National Aquaculture

11 Development Plan required to be established under

12 section 4.

13 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall inte14 grate and coordinate the aquaculture and related

15 missions, major objectives, and program components

16 of individual aquaculture plans of the coordinating

17 group members.

18 ‘‘(3) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later

19 than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Na20 tional Aquaculture Development, Research, and Pro21 motion Act of 1995, the Secretary shall submit a re22 vised Plan to Congress.

23 ‘‘(4) UPDATES.—Not later than 5 years after

24 the date of the submission of the revised Plan pursu25 ant to paragraph (3), and annually thereafter, the
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1 Secretary shall revise the National Aquaculture De2 velopment Plan.

3 ‘‘(d) TREATMENT OF AQUACULTURE.—The Sec4 retary shall, for all purposes, treat—

5 ‘‘(1) private aquaculture as a form of agri6 culture; and

7 ‘‘(2) cultivated aquatic animals, plants, and

8 microorganisms, and products of the animals, plants,

9 and microorganisms, produced by private persons

10 and moving in standard commodity channels as agri11 cultural livestock, crops, and commodities.

12 ‘‘(e) RESOLUTION OF INTERAGENCY CONFLICT.—In

13 consultation with representatives of affected Federal agen14 cies, the Secretary shall be responsible for resolving any

15 interagency conflict in the coordination or implementation

16 of the policy described in this section.

17 ‘‘(f) PRIVATE AQUACULTURE POLICY COORDINA18 TION, DEVELOPMENT, AND IMPLEMENTATION.—

19 ‘‘(1) RESPONSIBILITY.—The Secretary shall

20 have overall responsibility for coordinating, develop21 ing, and carrying out policies and programs for pri22 vate aquaculture.

23 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Secretary shall—
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1 ‘‘(A) coordinate all intradepartmental func2 tions and activities relating to private aqua3 culture;

4 ‘‘(B) establish procedures for the coordina5 tion of functions, and consultation, with the co6 ordinating group; and

7 ‘‘(C) recommend to the Agricultural Re8 search Service methods by which the aqua9 culture resources of the Service can be made

10 more easily retrievable and can be more widely

11 disseminated.

12 ‘‘(3) LIAISON.—

13 ‘‘(A) AGENCIES OF THE DEPARTMENT.—

14 To facilitate communication and interaction be15 tween the aquaculture community and the De16 partment, the head of each agency of the De17 partment shall, if requested by the Secretary,

18 designate an officer or employee of the agency

19 to be the liaison of the agency with the Sec20 retary.

21 ‘‘(B) DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE AND

22 INTERIOR.—The Secretary of Commerce and

23 the Secretary of the Interior shall each des24 ignate an officer or employee of their respective
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1 Departments to be the liaison of their respec2 tive Departments with the Secretary.’’.

3 SEC. 8. WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT.

4 The Act (16 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) is amended by in5 serting after section 7 (as added by section 7) the follow6 ing:

7 ‘‘SEC. 8. WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT.

8 ‘‘(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator of the Envi9 ronmental Protection Agency is authorized to carry out,

10 in collaboration with the Secretary, collaborative inter11 agency programs that demonstrate the application of

12 aquaculture to environmental enhancement and assess13 ment, including a program to assess the environmental im14 pact of waterborne contaminants on naturally occurring

15 aquatic organisms and ecosystems using aquaculture16 raised organisms to serve as an indicator of environmental

17 pollution.

18 ‘‘(b) GRANTS; COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The

19 Administrator may provide grants or enter into coopera20 tive agreements or contracts with private research organi21 zations for research and demonstration of the technology

22 authorized by this section.’’.
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1 SEC. 9. NATIVE AMERICAN FISHPOND REVITALIZATION.

2 The Act (16 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) is amended by in3 serting after section 8 (as added by section 8) the follow4 ing:

5 ‘‘SEC. 9. NATIVE AMERICAN FISHPOND REVITALIZATION.

6 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF NATIVE AMERICAN.—As used

7 in this section, the term ‘Native American’ means—

8 ‘‘(1) an Indian, as defined in section 4(d) of the

9 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance

10 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(d));

11 ‘‘(2) a Native Hawaiian, as defined in section

12 8(3) of the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of

13 1988 (42 U.S.C. 11707(3)) or section 815(3) of the

14 Native American Programs Act (42 U.S.C.

15 2992c(3));

16 ‘‘(3) an Alaska Native, within the meaning pro17 vided for the term ‘Native’ in section 3(b) of the

18 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C.

19 1602(b)); and

20 ‘‘(4) a Pacific Islander, within the meaning of

21 the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (42

22 U.S.C. 2991 et seq.)

23 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary

24 of Agriculture is authorized to carry out a program to revi25 talize fishponds used by Native Americans to cultivate

26 aquatic species.
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1 ‘‘(c) GRANTS; COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The

2 Secretary may provide grants or enter into cooperative

3 agreements with individuals and organizations, including

4 Native American organizations, to promote fishpond revi5 talization. Funds provided under this section may be used

6 to engage in fishpond research, pond culture technology

7 development, the application of traditional pond culture

8 techniques and modern aquaculture practices to ancient

9 fishponds, technical assistance and technology transfer,

10 and such other activities as the Secretary determines are

11 appropriate.’’.

12 SEC. 10. AQUACULTURE EDUCATION.

13 The Act (16 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) is amended by in14 serting after section 9 (as added by section 9) the follow15 ing:

16 ‘‘SEC. 10. AQUACULTURE EDUCATION.

17 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section:

18 ‘‘(1) POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL INSTITU19 TION.—The term ‘postsecondary vocational institu20 tion’ has the same meaning given the term by sec21 tion 481(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965

22 (20 U.S.C. 1088(c)), except that the term only in23 cludes an institution that awards an associates de24 gree but does not award a bachelor’s degree.
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1 ‘‘(2) SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘second2 ary school’ has the same meaning given the term by

3 section 14101(25) of the Elementary and Secondary

4 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801(25)).

5 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary

6 is authorized to establish a program to expand and im7 prove instruction, on aquaculture and the basic principles

8 of aquaculture farming, in the agriculture curriculum for

9 students attending secondary schools and postsecondary

10 vocational institutions.

11 ‘‘(c) GRANTS AND CURRICULUM.—In carrying out

12 subsection (b), the Secretary may—

13 ‘‘(1) make grants to—

14 ‘‘(A) establish and maintain aquaculture

15 learning centers in secondary schools and post16 secondary vocational institutions;

17 ‘‘(B) promote aquaculture technology

18 transfer; and

19 ‘‘(C) educate consumers and the public

20 concerning the benefits of aquaculture; and

21 ‘‘(2) develop curriculum and supporting mate22 rials on aquaculture farming, field test the content

23 of the curriculum, and supply training to educators

24 at secondary schools and postsecondary vocational
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1 institutions on the aquaculture curriculum and ma2 terials developed.

3 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY FOR GRANTS.—In awarding grants

4 under subsection (c)(1), the Secretary shall give priority

5 to—

6 ‘‘(1) the ability of the proposed aquaculture

7 learning center to gain access to—

8 ‘‘(A) a commercial aquaculture farm;

9 ‘‘(B) a regional aquaculture center estab10 lished by the Secretary under section 1475(d)

11 of the National Agricultural Research, Exten12 sion, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7

13 U.S.C. 3322(d));

14 ‘‘(C) an aquaculture research facility; or

15 ‘‘(D) a similar venture that would afford

16 students the opportunity to experience aqua17 culture research and development or commer18 cialization;

19 ‘‘(2) the ability of the center to achieve out20 reach to minority audiences or students in inner-city

21 schools;

22 ‘‘(3) the ability of the center to foster aware23 ness of aquaculture among consumers and the gen24 eral public;
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1 ‘‘(4) the ability of the center to serve as an

2 aquaculture education facility for visiting students

3 participating in a field trip or a similar educational

4 experience for inservice training; and

5 ‘‘(5) the level of assistance to be provided from

6 non-Federal sources.

7 ‘‘(e) LIMITATION.—

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para9 graph (2), a grantee may not receive a grant under

10 this section for more than 5 fiscal years.

11 ‘‘(2) WAIVER.—In the case of grantees that re12 ceive grants under this section for fiscal year 1996,

13 the Secretary may waive the application of para14 graph (1) to the grantees for the fiscal year if the

15 Secretary determines that the application of para16 graph (1) to the grantees would result in the termi17 nation of an excessive number of grants.’’.

18 SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

19 The first sentence of section 15 (as redesignated by

20 section 7(1)) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘There are

21 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act (in22 cluding the functions of the Joint Subcommittee on Aqua23 culture established under section 6(a)) $3,000,000 for

24 each of fiscal years 1996 through 2000.’’.
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1 SEC. 12. ELIGIBILITY OF AQUACULTURE FARMERS FOR

2 FARM CREDIT ASSISTANCE.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 343 of the Consolidated

4 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991) is

5 amended by striking ‘‘fish farming’’ both places it appears

6 in paragraphs (1) and (2) and inserting ‘‘aquaculture (as

7 the term is defined in section 3(1) of the National Aqua8 culture Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 2802(1)))’’.

9 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

10 subsection (a) shall become effective on October 1, 1995.

11 SEC. 13. INTERNATIONAL AQUACULTURE INFORMATION

12 AND DATA COLLECTION.

13 Section 502 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978

14 (7 U.S.C. 5692) is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing:

16 ‘‘(d) INTERNATIONAL AQUACULTURE INFORMATION

17 AND DATA COLLECTION.—

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized

19 to establish and carry out a program of data collec20 tion, analysis, and dissemination of information to

21 provide continuing and timely economic information

22 concerning international aquaculture production.

23 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out para24 graph (1), the Secretary shall consult with the Joint

25 Subcommittee on Aquaculture established under sec26 tion 6(a) of the National Aquaculture Act of 1980
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1 (16 U.S.C. 2805(a)), and representatives of the

2 United States aquaculture industry, concerning

3 means of effectively providing data described in

4 paragraph (1) to the Joint Subcommittee and the

5 industry.’’.

6 SEC. 14. AQUACULTURE INFORMATION NETWORK REPORT.

7 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment

8 of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall report to

9 Congress on the feasibility of expanding current informa10 tion systems at regional aquaculture centers established

11 by the Secretary under section 1475(d) of the National

12 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy

13 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3322(d)), universities, research in14 stitutions, and the Agricultural Research Service to permit

15 an on-line link between those entities for the sharing of

16 data, publication, and technical assistance information in17 volving aquaculture.

18 SEC. 15. VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATION OF QUALITY STAND19 ARDS.

20 The Act (16 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) is amended by in21 serting after section 10 (as added by section 11) the fol22 lowing:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 11. VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATION OF QUALITY STAND2 ARDS.

3 ‘‘The Secretary shall develop, in consultation with

4 representatives of the aquaculture industry, a plan for vol5 untary certification of guidelines to ensure the quality of

6 aquatic species subject to this Act in order to promote the

7 marketing and transportation of aquaculture products.’’.

8 SEC. 16. IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture

11 shall report to Congress on the progress made in carrying

12 out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.

13 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection

14 (a) shall include—

15 (1) a description of all programs and activities

16 of the Department of Agriculture and all other agen17 cies and Departments in support of private aqua18 culture;

19 (2) the specific authorities for the activities de20 scribed in paragraph (1); and

21 (3) recommendations for such actions as the

22 Secretary of Agriculture determines are necessary to

23 improve recognition and support of private aqua24 culture in each agency of the Department of Agri25 culture.

Æ
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