IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 301
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Gov-
ernment should actively pursue a unified approach to strengthen and 
promote the national policy on aquaculture. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 26, 2003
Mr. ABERCROMBIE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agri-
culture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Federal Government should actively pursue a unified 
approach to strengthen and promote the national policy 
on aquaculture.
Whereas the Food and Agriculture Organization of the 
United Nations determined that aquaculture is the fast-
est growing food sector that provides animal protein for 
citizens of the world; 
Whereas global aquacultural production, including the pro-
duction of aquatic plants, has increased at an average 
rate of 9.2 percent per year since 1970, compared with 
an average rate of only 1.4 percent for capture fisheries
•HRES 301 IH 
and 2.8 percent for terrestrial-farmed meat production 
systems; 
Whereas freshwater aquacultural production increased from 
15,900,000 metric tons in 1996 to 22,600,000 metric 
tons in 2001, marine aquacultural production increased 
from 10,800,000 metric tons in 1996 to 15,200,000 met-
ric tons in 2001, and total aquacultural production in-
creased from 26,700,000 metric tons in 1996 to 
37,800,000 metric tons in 2001; 
Whereas economic modeling predicts that global annual con-
sumption of fish and shellfish per person will increase 
over time, from approximately 16 kilograms in 2003 to 
between 19 and 21 kilograms in 2030, due to increased 
health consciousness and the stronger demand for sea-
food products; 
Whereas the United States imports more than 60 percent of 
its seafood products, resulting in an annual seafood trade 
deficit in excess of $7,000,000,000; and 
Whereas section 7139 of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 reauthorized the National Aqua-
culture Act of 1980 until 2007, but did not adequately 
address emerging national issues such as offshore aqua-
culture development, water quality concerns, invasive spe-
cies impacts, and a coordinated siting, permitting, and li-
censing process: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that the Federal Government should actively 
pursue a unified approach to strengthen and promote the 
national policy on aquaculture, including as priorities—
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(1) ensuring the sustainable development of 
production where aquaculture is economically viable, 
environmentally feasible, and culturally acceptable; 
(2) analyzing the supply and demand for do-
mestic and exported aquacultural products to enable 
the United States to compete in the global market-
place; 
(3) increasing the availability of new technical 
and scientific information that supports aquacultural 
development; 
(4) with regard to marine aquaculture, pro-
viding encouragement and identification of marine 
zones favorable to aquaculture that take into consid-
eration desired environmental conditions and poten-
tial use conflicts; and 
(5) establishing a goal of a 5-fold increase in 
United States aquacultural production by 2025.
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