International Aquafeed Directory 2023-24

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COMPANY PROFILE SHELLS ACT COMPANY PROFILE
Wicker, Whitehouse, King introduce bipartisan bill
to support aquaculture farmers and harvesters
Man harvesting seaweed on a beach in County Kerry Ireland on a bright day
14674974 © David Morrison | Dreamstime.com
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger
Wicker, R-Miss., joined Senators
Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Senator Angus
King, I-Maine, in introducing bi-partisan,
bicameral legislation to uplift and
support aquaculture and aquaculture
farmers and harvesters. The Sustaining
Healthy Ecosystems, Livelihoods, and
Local Seafood (SHELLS) Act will create
a program office for aquaculture within
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) to bolster shellfish harvesters
and seaweed farmers, protect food
security, and promote blue carbon
ecosystems.
“Seafood is an important component
of America's food supply chain and a
major economic driver in communities
like Mississippi's Gulf Coast,” Wicker
said. “This legislation would give aquaculture
farmers a more direct line to
access USDA resources and programs so
that they can better meet demand in this
growing industry.”
“Shellfish farming is a pillar of the
Ocean State’s economy and culture,” said
Whitehouse, co-founder of the Senate
Oceans Caucus. “Our SHELLS Act will
expand federal programs that provide
Rhode Island aquaculture farmers the
tools and resources to sustainably grow
the industry, create new jobs, and continue
farming the best oysters in
America.”
“For generations, Maine’s ocean economy
has supported communities along
our coast – aquaculture presents an
exciting new opportunity to expand on
this long tradition and create more
good-paying jobs in the 21st century,”
King said. “From shellfish to seaweed,
the bipartisan SHELLS Act would give
aquaculture entrepreneurs and professionals
a designated point person in the
federal government who understands
their needs and can best respond to
them. This is a commonsense way to
invest in Maine’s aquaculture farmers
and harvesters, produce more worldclass
seafood products, and build on our
state’s legacy of sustainable maritime
innovation. I am grateful for my
colleagues’ bipartisan support on this
important effort to grow Maine’s
invaluable ocean economy.”
The SHELLS Act also establishes an
Aquaculture Advisory Committee to
oversee program activities, support the
development of best practices, provide
technical assistance, and acknowledge
the history, use, and preservation of
Indigenous and traditional aquaculture
practices and ecological knowledge.
Companion legislation was introduced
in the House of Representatives by U.S.
Representatives Suzanne Bonamici,
D-Ore., Ed Case, D-Hawaii, Rob
Wittman, R-Va., Frank Pallone, D-N.J.,
and Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.
n https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/
6/wicker-whitehouse-king-introducebipartisan-bill-to-support-aquaculturefarmers-and-harvesters
INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED DIRECTORY 2023/24