I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5087 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report to Congress 
on Department of Agriculture spending related to seafood purchases 
and grants, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2023 
Mr. PALLONE (for himself, Mrs. CAMMACK, Ms. BONAMICI, and Ms. BLUNT 
ROCHESTER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report 
to Congress on Department of Agriculture spending re-
lated to seafood purchases and grants, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Equity for 
Aquaculture and Seafood Act’’ or the ‘‘SEAS Act’’. 
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SEC. 3. REPORT ON USDA SUPPORT FOR AQUACULTURE 
AND THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agri-
culture shall submit to Congress a report— 
(1) evaluating the Department of Agriculture’s 
role in supporting aquaculture and the seafood in-
dustry; 
(2) evaluating the domestic seafood processing 
capacity of the United States and the impact of 
overseas processing on domestic supply chains, aqua-
culture, and the seafood industry; 
(3) examining the access to the Department of 
Agriculture’s grants and resources aquaculture and 
seafood producers have, as compared to traditional 
land-based farmers; 
(4) evaluating the potential environmental bene-
fits of aquaculture, with respect to climate, conserva-
tion, and pollution; 
(5) evaluating the potential negative impacts of 
aquaculture, with respect to pollution, waste, dis-
ease, and other repercussions; and 
(6) providing recommendations to support and 
advance best practice for aquaculture in the United 
States. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
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(1) AQUACULTURE.—The term ‘‘aquaculture’’ 
means the controlled breeding, rearing, and har-
vesting of fish, shellfish, sea vegetables and other or-
ganisms in freshwater, saltwater, and any other con-
trolled water environments. 
(2) SEAFOOD INDUSTRY.—The term ‘‘seafood 
industry’’ means shellfish growers, shellfish har-
vesters, sea vegetable growers, fish farmers, com-
mercial fishermen that harvest shellfish or finfish, 
and other aquaculture producers. 
SEC. 4. USDA INTERNAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle B of the Department of 
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6931 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 226B (7 
U.S.C. 6934) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 226C. AQUACULTURE EDUCATION. 
‘‘(a) FSA OFFICES.— The Secretary shall develop 
and implement a requirement for employees of each re-
gional office of the Farm Service Agency with respect to 
education on aquaculture. Such requirement shall include 
training for all existing and new employees on— 
‘‘(1) eligibility for aquaculture-related Federal 
grants and programs; 
‘‘(2) the role of aquaculture in United States 
agriculture; and 
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‘‘(3) the support the Department of Agriculture 
provides to seafood producers and aquaculture. 
‘‘(b) MEMORANDUM.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary 
shall issue a department-wide memorandum that— 
‘‘(1) affirms the Department of Agriculture’s 
current position that aquaculture plays a vital role 
in the United States agriculture system; and 
‘‘(2) reiterates the eligibility of aquaculture and 
seafood products and producers for programs admin-
istered by the Secretary. 
‘‘(c) WEBINARS.— The Secretary shall, beginning not 
later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 
section and every 2 years thereafter, convene a conference 
(including a conference held on a virtual platform or 
through webinars) providing for education of officers and 
employees of the Department of Agriculture and relevant 
stakeholders on the state of aquaculture in the United 
States.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—Effective as if in-
cluded in the enactment of the Agricultural Act of 2018, 
subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganiza-
tion Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by 
redesignating the first section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) (relat-
ing to the Food Access Liaison) as section 224A. 
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SEC. 5. REGIONAL AQUACULTURE CENTERS. 
(a) EXTENSION.— Section 1477(a) of the National 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) to carry out subsection (b), $30,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.’’. 
(b) INDIRECT COSTS.—Section 1477 of the National 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3324) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(c) INDIRECT COSTS.—Of the funds made available 
under subsection (a) to carry out this section for a fiscal 
year, not more than 15 percent may be used for expenses 
related to administering the program under this section.’’. 
SEC. 6. SHELLFISH RESEARCH UNDER AGRICULTURE AND 
FOOD RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (b)(2)(B)(i) of the 
Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act 
(7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(2)(B)(i)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(i)(I) aquaculture; and 
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‘‘(II) methods of increasing survival 
rate and adaptability of shellfish, including 
resistance to heat, disease, salinity, and 
acidification;’’. 
(b) DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY 
FOR THE SEAFOOD AND AQUACULTURE INDUSTRIES.— 
Title IX of the Food Security and Rural Investment Act 
of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 9015. DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY 
FOR THE SEAFOOD AND AQUACULTURE IN-
DUSTRIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall 
make competitive grants to eligible entities to develop next 
generation technology, which may include more efficient 
gear and equipment, to reduce pollution and fuel usage 
in the seafood and aquaculture industries. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.—The term ‘eligi-
ble entity’ includes a regional aquaculture center estab-
lished under section 1475 of the National Agricultural Re-
search, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 
U.S.C. 3322), institution of higher education, federally- 
funded research and development center, and an organiza-
tion organization described in section 501(c)(5) of the In-
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