The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) listed the development of a statewide aquaculture action plan as Objective 4.2 of their 2020-25 Strategic Plan to Protect California’s Coast and Ocean. Specifically, their target is to -
“With [state partners], develop a statewide aquaculture action plan focused on marine algae and shellfish and landbased/recirculating tank operations of marine algae, shellfish, and finfish by 2023. The plan should identify areas of opportunity and avoidance to minimize impacts to habitat, biodiversity, and wild fisheries and should include minimum project criteria, including best practices for eliminating detrimental environmental impacts. ”
EAC has been actively following the development of the statewide action plan, advocating for a strong plan consistent with the OPC’s strategic plan that explicitly identifies and addresses marine aquaculture impacts. We participated in a working group on this topic, we have spoken at agency meetings, and we meet with OPC staff. In December 2022, we submitted a detailed comment letter with 9 partners, providing feedback on the finalized aquaculture principles and feedback on the pending aquaculture action plan. Our letter also included our collection opposition to marine finfish.
OPC provided an update in their January Executive Director report (p.10), stating that the “OPC and the Aquaculture Leadership Team have brought authorship of this document back to the state and refined the scope to focus on improving the California’s current system and management of existing operations in order to build a robust framework for future development to sustainably expand aquaculture in California. OPC has convened a working group of the Leadership Team that has identified priorities and policy recommendations and is in the process of collaboratively developing a draft Action Plan that meets state needs, reflects state priorities, and will lead to meaningful change and progress for sustainable aquaculture development in California.”
Consistent with EAC’s advocacy for best management conditions and strong coastal development permit conditions, we support these considerations and the additional research which may be needed to support the development of a well-thought-out and adaptive action plan. We look forward to continued and expanded work with our local and state partners on this important issue. A draft of the action plan will be released in the early summer of 2023, and public comment is welcomed. We will keep our members informed on public participation opportunities, and we will continue to advocate for public transparency.
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