Regulations
Governance is vital for any industry. Good governance strives to protect safety and quality of products, create unity throughout the industry, and support businesses to succeed. In the United States there are many federal and state level regulations by which aquaculture companies must abide by to run a farm or processing facility. Federal regulations and permit requirements apply to all farms within the U.S. and U.S. federal waters. State laws can vary greatly based on amount of coastline or lack thereof, the categorization of aquaculture as its own industry or as part of agriculture, and state resource availability. To find regulations for your state, visit your local Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Department of Agriculture, or state legislation websites for more information. Additionally, all imported seafood must meet the same safety requirements as domestically produced seafood based federal regulations. Listed below are resources for more information on U.S. regulations.
Laws:
• Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (1976)
• National Aquaculture Act of 1980
• National Aquaculture Improvement Act of 1985
• Sustainable Fisheries Act (1996)
• Gulf of Mexico Aquaculture Fisheries Management Plan (2018)
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Agencies:
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA): enforced strict compliance with HACCP regulations, strict no tolerance for unapproved drugs
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
- Office of Food Safety
- Division of Seafood Safety (DSS)
- Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): monitors pests and diseases on imports, exports, and domestically grown products.
- Natural Resource Conservation Service
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits: required for effluent discharge from any
concentrated aquatic animal production facility
• National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
- Aquatic Animal Health Program (AAH)
- Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
International Organizations with aquaculture activities to which the U.S. is a party:
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African Development Bank Group.
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Asia-Pacific Economic Council.
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ASEAN Regional Forum.
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Asian Development Bank.
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Food and Agriculture Organization.
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Inter-American Development Bank.
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International Fund for Agricultural Development.
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International Maritime Organization.
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Office International des Epizooties (OIE).
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Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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United Nations.
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World Bank Group (IBRD, IFC, IDA, MIGA).
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World Health Organization.
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World Trade Organization.
International agreements with aquaculture activities to which the United States of America is a party:
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International Plant Protection Convention (Ippc).
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Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on The High Seas.
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Food Aid Convention, 1980.
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Codex Alimentarious.
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Convention on the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.
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Convention on Biological Diversity.
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Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean.
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Fisheries Treaty with Certain Pacific Island States.
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Amendment to the 1978 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
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North American Free Trade Agreement between the Government of Canada, the Government of the United Mexican States, and the Government of the United States of America (NFTA)
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Other United States of America International agreements, available here.
**Note this is not an exhaustive list of all laws and regulations concerning aquaculture in the United States. There are bills trying to be passed through Congress currently and there are also old laws that no longer apply to modern aquaculture research, farms, or facilities. The regulations listed are the most relevant to current safety and quality control standards withing the United States. Underlined text will open supporting documents in a new tab when clicked.