Study on offshore aquaculture by Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

(a) In general The Administrator shall seek to enter into a contract with the Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (in this section referred to as the Board) under which the Board shall, not later than 5 years after the date on which the Administrator establishes the assessment program under section 201— (1) complete a study to develop the scientific basis for efficient and effective regulation of offshore aquaculture; and (2) submit to Congress and make publicly available the results of the study. (b) Elements The study completed pursuant to subsection (a) shall, with respect to offshore aquaculture— (1) identify— (A) optimal methods of operation of offshore aquaculture facilities to limit adverse effects on the environment, wildlife, and human well-being, including— (i) considerations to guide siting decisions of such facilities; (ii) appropriate stocking densities; and (iii) opportunities for selective breeding; (B) a science-based definition of responsible offshore aquaculture feed or other inputs, including guidance on sourcing feed or other inputs to address long- or short-term concerns, including the availability and scalability of such inputs; (C) potential adverse effects on the environment, wildlife, and human well-being, including from— (i) the use of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals by offshore aquaculture facilities, including through analyses necessary to establish acceptable rates, impact levels, and risk thresholds, such as analyses of organism antibiotic consumption or metabolization versus excretion to the surrounding environment; (ii) pollution originating from offshore aquaculture facilities, including such effect on marine organisms and the environment, including the potential for assimilation; (iii) abandoned, lost, damaged, or otherwise discarded gear or equipment; (iv) harmful interactions with wildlife; (v) genetic mixing between cultured species and wild marine species; (vi) the transfer of disease between cultured species and wild species; (vii) the collection and removal of brood stock for offshore aquaculture operations, and hatcheries and prestocking rearing operations that are specific to offshore aquaculture; (viii) large-scale cultivation of filter-feeding bivalve organisms and seaweed; (ix) offshore aquaculture facilities acting as aggregating devices for wild fisheries and wildlife populations; (x) predator control devices and methods; and (xi) the use of non-sustainable sources of feed or other inputs, including the use of globally limited marine resources for feed ingredients, and scalability of alternatives, including— (I) novel ingredients (for example, insect, single cell protein, and algae); (II) traditional ingredients (for example, soya); and (III) other inputs; (D) potential methods and technologies to mitigate adverse effects, including the effects identified under subparagraph (C); (E) potential methods to identify conflicts between offshore aquaculture facilities and other users of the offshore environment, and rubrics for developing solutions to mitigate such conflicts; (F) the types of quantitative data and qualitative information necessary for the optimal operation of offshore aquaculture facilities and appropriate methods of procuring such data and information, including from— (i) citizen science (as defined in section 402(c) of the Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act (15 U.S.C. 3724(c))); (ii) the traditional knowledge of Tribal and Indigenous communities; and (iii) offshore aquaculture operators; (G) best practices for offshore aquaculture siting and operations to manage and plan for predicted changes in global atmospheric and oceanographic conditions; (H) economic impacts and contributions of offshore aquaculture to local, State, regional, and national economies; (I) the business profitability potential and market opportunities for offshore aquaculture enterprises; and (J) potential benefits from offshore aquaculture operations at the local, State, and national levels, including social, cultural, economic, and environmental ecosystem services; and (2) provide recommendations for legislative or administrative action with respect to— (A) methods of operation identified under paragraph (1)(A); (B) mitigating adverse effects identified under paragraph (1)(C); (C) environmental standards, control rules, or reference points that build on the existing public and private standards or best practices for the sustainability of offshore aquaculture; and (D) ensuring that operators of offshore aquaculture facilities adhere to international standards for social responsibility, public health, and equitable labor practices, including with respect to sourcing inputs for such facilities.