AUGUST 6, 2020
Floating Gulf Fish Farms in Federal Waters Blocked by Court
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A federal appeals court has struck down plans backed by President Donald Trump’s administration to open the Gulf of Mexico’s federal waters to fish farming, a practice opposed by environmental groups and elements of the seafood industry that depend on wild fisheries.
On Monday, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans blocked recent federal rules that would have allowed offshore aquaculture operations for the first time in the Gulf.
The 2-1 decision affirms a 2018 lower court ruling that was appealed by the Trump administration. In May, Trump signed an executive order making it the policy of the federal government to “identify and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers” restricting aquaculture in federal waters.