WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- The Bush administration sent a bill to Capitol Hill that would open the oceans to fish farms up to 200 miles from U.S. shores.
The legislation, designed to implement recommendations from the Commission on Ocean Policy, worried environmentalists, the Christian Science Monitor reported Wednesday.
"Our goal is to develop a sustainable aquaculture program that balances the needs of fishermen, coastal residents and visitors, seafood consumers, the environment, and the aquaculture industry," said Conrad Lautenbacher Jr., administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA would issue permits under the legislation.
The Bush administration proposal would affect 3.4 million square miles of ocean.
It comes as global demand rises while wild fisheries are declining.
The United Nations projects global fish consumption will reach 120 million tons by 2030 with less than half of the fish coming from the wild.
Some environmentalists said the legislation was developed with heavy input from the aquaculture industry and worried how well operations 200 miles offshore would be monitored.
