Kauffman Aquaculture Center Dedication Locklies Creek, Topping, Virginia Rappahannock River April 13, 2004, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Good afternoon Rector Magill, Secretary Murphy, and Dean Wright. Thank you for the invitation to speak today. It is an honor to be at the Kauffman Aquaculture Center with the donors whose generous contributions made this aquaculture research facility possible. Special thanks are in order for the Kauffman family and their commitment to build this Center. This is a great location, right here at the mouth of the Rappahannock River where it joins the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake is the world’s largest estuary and a national treasure. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science is a treasure as well. My experience with VIMS and the College of William and Mary stems back to my previous position as the President of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education. I know the caliber of research done at VIMS is top notch and among the best in the country. VIMS is a crown jewel in the field of ocean and coastal sciences. Speaking of ocean and coastal science, while I’m up here I’ll make an unpaid plug for NOAA! NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We are the science agency for all things oceans and atmosphere. We bring you the weather - you are familiar with the National Weather Service. We have a satellite program that provides a comprehensive view of the earth’s oceanic and atmospheric conditions allowing us to monitor climate conditions, weather patterns and to predict coastal hazards like hurricanes. We have both polar orbiting and geostationary satellites. We have an ocean service, a fisheries service and an oceans and atmosphere research program as well. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science does remarkable work in the fields of fisheries science, habitat restoration, wetland function, SAV production, ecosystem management, aquaculture, the list goes on ........ I am proud to say that NOAA helps to make that happen. NOAA awarded VIMS over $6.5 million dollars in grants last year which I’ve been told makes up roughly 30% of the funding received overall. Of all the research you do, the VIMS Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center is carrying out research that is of particular interest to NOAA and the many communities in the Chesapeake Bay region. I understand much of that research will be centered here at the Kauffman Center which has been designed to enhance and extend the aquaculture work and facilities in Gloucester Point. The results
of your native and Asian oyster studies will help to determine if
it will be possible to restore oysters to the Bay which will have
valuable environmental, cultural and economic benefits. The work you
do here will result in what I would term as the “building blocks”
of aquaculture. You are doing the research to make sure oyster production
is safe, free of disease and hopefully a means to bring back oysters
to the Bay. Fish products are a chief source of protein globally. Some estimates indicate 20% of the world’s protein is derived from fish. In 2002, the average American consumed 15.6 pounds of seafood. That same year, the U.S. was the 3rd largest consumer of fish products with consumer expenditures at $55.1 billion in 2002. It is clear that we have an enormous appetite for seafood and that appetite is growing with every report extolling the benefits of fish in a healthy diet. However, the United States is not likely to expand current domestic harvests substantially. Many stocks are over-harvested and several are moving in that direction. Through the efforts of NOAA Fisheries, the Management Councils and state fisheries agencies we are making progress in reversing that trend. However, we’re not there yet and my barometer for knowing this are the prices for seafood at the Old Ebbit Grill in D.C. The price of a crabcake sandwich there is astronomical! And crabs are part of the problem with oysters - crabs love to eat young oysters like potato chips! Despite our efforts to rebuild fish stocks and manage their harvest better, the fact is the demand for high quality, healthy seafood still outweighs what we can produce through traditional harvest. You might wonder why NOAA has such an interest in aquaculture. Beyond the environmental issues associated with it, are the economic issues. NOAA is housed within the Department of Commerce, in fact, we are 65% of the Department’s budget. In 2003, the U.S. imported $11 billion worth of seafood products. Meanwhile we exported $3.1 billion, leaving us with an almost $7.9 billion seafood trade deficit. Of all natural resource trade deficits, this ranks second or third behind oil and gas depending on how forest products are grouped. What can be done to make up for that shortfall? Aquaculture. The United States currently imports 75% of the seafood we consume and 40% of what we import is produced overseas through farm-grown or aquaculture products. As an industry, global aquaculture has expanded at a rate of roughly 10% annually since the early 1990s. In the U.S. it expanded at less than 2% annually for the same time period. 2001 data from the FAO shows that the United States is 11th in the production of aquaculture products, behind China, India, most of SE Asia and the EU. The issue of the safety of those products is often raised. Concerns have been raised over antibiotic use, the escape of farmed species, the impact of aquaculture on the environment and to wild species, the use of dyes and overall safety of farmed products. We don’t have the same guidelines for seafood the FDA does for other food products. There is significant potential for domestic expansion in the aquaculture industry, but this must be done in a responsible, environmentally sound manner. Aquaculture done right provides the following benefits:
In the U.S. Aquaculture produces nearly $1billion in products annually from both fresh and saltwater farms. This employs roughly 200,000 people. We hope to expand those numbers. Under NOAA’s mission is a broad goal to “Protect, restore and mange the use of coastal and ocean resources through ecosystem-based management”. NOAA is presently applying aquaculture tools to recover species listed under the Endangered Species Act: Pacific salmon, sea turtles and white abalone. We are also looking to apply aquaculture tools to rebuild diminished stocks and to develop and manage responsible marine aquaculture. In fulfilling our aquaculture objectives we strive to avoid, minimize and mitigate negative impacts on ocean and coastal resources and I want you to know I take that very seriously. Aquaculture is not without its critics, many of whom have been understandably vocal. The challenges we face will be to address antibiotic use, introduction of disease and invasive species, fish escapes and the impact on genetic diversity, water column and benthic habitat impacts, and impacts on other marine species. Members of the fishing industry have also expressed concerns over the impact aquaculture will have on fish prices. These are all valid concerns, and fortunately several have already been dealt with in large part by the aquaculture industry itself. Like any other industry, levels of efficiency and technologies are improved the longer the industry exists. NOAA has several aquaculture mandates under several legislative authorities including: the National Aquaculture Act, the National Sea Grant College Program Act, the Presidential Proclamation #5030 (U.S. EEZ), the ESA and the CZMA. The most important authorizing legislation is the National Aquaculture Act of 1980. The Act requires the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture and Interior to develop a National Aquaculture Plan to meet future seafood needs, reduce the seafood trade deficit, and augment commercial and recreational fisheries. These activities are carried out under the multi-agency Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture. In 1999 the DOC and NOAA came out with their Aquaculture Policy Goals for 2025. Those goals instruct us to:
In order to meet these goals, NOAA is working on an offshore aquaculture policy which would allow aquaculture within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. We are working on regulations and environmental standards for offshore aquaculture, taking into account impacts on fish stocks, the coastal environment, marine mammals and endangered species. We’re still in the formulation phase, but it’s something to watch for in the future. Something else to watch is the draft report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. This will be released to the Governors April 20. We expect several recommendations for NOAA within the report. We’ll need your support and help in implementing those recommendations just as we need the support of all our partners - federal, state, NGO’s and local citizens. I have presented you with NOAA’s broad view on aquaculture. It’s time to bring this talk back around to where I started. Sound science is essential to a healthy and environmentally-responsible aquaculture industry. This is where the work of the Kauffman Center fits in. Sound science is where NOAA and VIMS fit into sustaining healthy coastal environments and a vibrant economy. We like to say that NOAA is where science gains value. I have a know this is true for VIMS as well. NOAA, along with partnering institutes like VIMS, is deeply engaged in understanding our oceans, bays and coasts. It’s easy to take these areas for granted. They’ve kept us going for centuries, and helped shape the dreams of every civilization. We can no longer ride the wave. We must get ahead of it and that’s what NOAA’s scientists and your scientists work so hard to do every day. We will only achieve our goals if we work in partnership with each other, government, academia, and individual citizens. I applaud you for your efforts and wish the Kauffman Center the best of luck in its research. I look forward to the day when we can take your research to the operational stage! Thank you again for inviting me to speak.
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