I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4013 
To establish a regulatory system for sustainable offshore aquaculture in 
the United States exclusive economic zone, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2023 
Mrs. CAMMACK (for herself, Mr. CASE, and Mr. EZELL) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 
and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Transportation 
and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a regulatory system for sustainable offshore 
aquaculture in the United States exclusive economic 
zone, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American 
Aquaculture Act’’ or the ‘‘AQUAA Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Purposes. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
TITLE I—NATIONAL STANDARDS 
Sec. 101. National standards for sustainable aquaculture. 
Sec. 102. National plan to identify and designate aquaculture opportunity 
areas. 
Sec. 103. Aquaculture outside of an aquaculture opportunity area. 
TITLE II—CORE ACTIVITIES 
Sec. 201. Aquaculture management plans. 
Sec. 202. Offshore aquaculture permits. 
Sec. 203. Research and development grant program. 
Sec. 204. Economic soundness. 
TITLE III—REFINEMENTS 
Sec. 301. Recordkeeping, inspections, and access to information. 
Sec. 302. Marine feed standards. 
Sec. 303. Marine use rights. 
TITLE IV—ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Office of Aquaculture. 
Sec. 402. Support for industry. 
Sec. 403. Outreach and education. 
Sec. 404. Administration. 
Sec. 405. Report and permit terms. 
Sec. 406. Federal coordination. 
Sec. 407. Prohibited acts. 
Sec. 408. Enforcement. 
Sec. 409. Authorization of appropriations. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to support the development of a sustainable 
marine aquaculture industry in the United States 
and enhance access to investment capital; 
(2) to develop sustainable marine aquaculture 
to complement sustainable fisheries and ecosystem- 
based management; 
(3) to clarify the Federal regulatory regime for 
sustainable offshore aquaculture and safeguard the 
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marine environment, wild fish stocks, and our coast-
al communities; 
(4) to support research and technology develop-
ment to further these goals; 
(5) to create new jobs, and support existing 
jobs within the seafood industry of the United 
States, including jobs for traditional fishing industry 
participants; and 
(6) to reduce the United States seafood trade 
deficit by expanding the domestic supply of seafood 
through the production of sustainable offshore aqua-
culture. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
AQUACULTURE.—The 
term 
‘‘aqua-
culture’’— 
(A) means any activity involved in the 
propagation, rearing, or attempted propagation 
or rearing, of cultured species, including the 
capture and rearing of broodstock; 
(B) does not include the practice of cap-
turing juvenile finfish to rear to maturity in an 
aquaculture facility for subsequent commercial 
sale; and 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—Unless otherwise speci-
fied by the President in the public interest in 
a writing published in the Federal Register, the 
term ‘‘exclusive economic zone’’ means a zone, 
the outer boundary of which is 200 nautical 
miles from the baseline from which the breadth 
of the territorial sea is measured (except as es-
tablished by a maritime boundary treaty in 
force or being provisionally applied by the 
United States or, in the absence of such a trea-
ty, where the distance between the United 
States and another country is less than 400 
nautical miles, a line equidistant between the 
United States and the other country). 
(B) INNER BOUNDARY.—Without affecting 
any Presidential proclamation with regard to 
the establishment of the United States terri-
torial sea or exclusive economic zone, the inner 
boundary of the exclusive economic zone is— 
(i) in the case of the coastal States, a 
line coterminous with the seaward bound-
ary of each such State, as described in sec-
tion 4 of the Submerged Lands Act (43 
U.S.C. 1312); 
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(ii) in the case of the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, a line 9 nautical miles 
from the coastline of the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico; 
(iii) in the case of American Samoa, 
the United States Virgin Islands, or Guam, 
a line 3 geographic miles from the coast-
lines of American Samoa, the United 
States Virgin Islands, or Guam, respec-
tively; 
(iv) in the case of the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands— 
(I) the coastline of the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands, until the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands is granted 
authority by the United States to reg-
ulate all fishing to a line seaward of 
its coastline; and 
(II) upon the United States 
grant of such authority, the line es-
tablished by such grant of authority; 
or 
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(v) for any possession of the United 
States not under clause (ii), (iii), or (iv), 
the coastline of such possession. 
(C) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this defi-
nition may be construed to diminish the author-
ity of the Department of Defense, the Depart-
ment of the Interior, or any other Federal de-
partment or agency. 
(6) HEALTHY
TARGET
STOCK.—The term 
‘‘healthy target stock’’ means a component of a fish-
ery managed in a similar or equivalent way to fish-
eries managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 
et seq.) or by a United States interstate marine fish-
eries commission, or a component of a fishery tar-
geted for harvest that is not overfished or experi-
encing overfishing. 
(7) LESSEE.—The term ‘‘lessee’’ means any 
party to a lease, right-of-use and easement, or right- 
of-way, or an approved assignment thereof, issued 
pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.). 
(8) MULTI-TROPHIC AQUACULTURE.—The term 
‘‘multi-trophic aquaculture’’ means an assemblage of 
cultured species grown in close enough proximity to 
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one another so that cultured species provide eco-
system services to one another. 
(9) OFFSHORE AQUACULTURE.—The term ‘‘off-
shore aquaculture’’ means aquaculture conducted in 
the exclusive economic zone. 
(10) OFFSHORE AQUACULTURE FACILITY.—The 
term ‘‘offshore aquaculture facility’’ means— 
(A) an installation or structure used, in 
whole or in part, for offshore aquaculture; or 
(B) an area of the seabed, water column, 
or the sediment used for offshore aquaculture. 
(11) SECRETARY.—Except as otherwise specifi-
cally provided, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec-
retary of Commerce, acting through the Under Sec-
retary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. 
(12) SUSTAINABLY
MANAGED
FISHERY
FOR 
AQUACULTURE FEED.—The term ‘‘sustainably man-
aged fishery for aquaculture feed’’ means a fishery 
that is used for feed and that is managed in such 
a manner to maintain healthy target stocks, to pro-
tect marine ecosystem structure, productivity, func-
tion, and diversity, and to minimize impacts to non-
target stocks. 
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TITLE I—NATIONAL STANDARDS 
SEC. 101. NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE AQUA-
CULTURE. 
(a) RELATION TO CURRENT LAW.—Nothing in this 
Act shall be construed in derogation of applicable law, and 
offshore aquaculture operations shall comply with all ap-
plicable statutes, rules, and regulations. In order to ensure 
that implementing regulations for applicable statutes ap-
propriately account for the unique considerations arising 
from offshore aquaculture, the Secretary shall comply with 
the following: 
(1) With respect to regulations administered by 
the Department of Commerce or National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, the Secretary shall 
review such regulations in accordance with this sub-
section and update any regulations as appropriate or 
necessary. 
(2) With respect to Federal regulations not ad-
ministered by the Department of Commerce or Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 
Secretary shall confer with appropriate officials to 
review such regulations in accordance with this sub-
section. After such review, the Agency that admin-
isters the regulations may, as appropriate or nec-
essary, update such regulations. 
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