The Gulf of Mexico is facing a serious threat – open ocean industrial fish farms – that could harm our fisheries, marine wildlife and the people who depend on them. Despite clearly voiced objections by thousands of fishermen and coastal residents, the federal agency responsible for management of the Gulf’s fisheries, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is finalizing rules to allow ocean fish farming in Gulf waters.Tell NOAA that you don’t want industrial fish farms in the Gulf. Open water fish farms have been associated with serious problems – pollution, increased parasites and diseases in wild fish, conflicts with fishermen and other ocean users, and interference with marine mammals and other wildlife. Plus, there are big concerns about how open water fish farms in the Gulf would hold up to hurricanes and tropical storms. Nonetheless, large fish farming companies have been pushing for new rules to allow them to build huge fish farms in the Gulf’s waters.Click here to urge NOAA to side with fishermen and coastal residents over big, industrial fish farming companies. Cyn Sarthou is GRN’s Executive Director.
