FALMOUTH, Mass., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Strong environmental standards, incentives and funding are needed to site and regulate offshore U.S. marine aquaculture, an independent panel said.

The U.S. Congress should enact legislation to ensure environmental standards are in place, the Marine Aquaculture Task Force said in a news release. The federal government also should provide funding and incentives for research and development of technologies for sustainable marine aquaculture.

Aquaculture -- the farming of fish, shellfish and aquatic plants -- accounts for nearly half of the seafood consumed worldwide.

The task force -- organized by the Falmouth, Mass.-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Lenfest Foundation -- examined the risks and benefits of marine aquaculture and developed policy recommendations.

The task force recommended that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration take a lead role in planning and regulating the industry.

Offshore aquaculture has an advantage over coastal fish farming because excess feed and waste can be removed naturally, the panel said.

The panel noted environmental concerns, such as which species should be farmed and where, and what level of discharges could be safely absorbed by the ocean. Some researchers said they were worried that domesticated fish could threaten natural stocks.