Supporting Equity for Aquaculture and Seafood Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Supporting Equity for Aquaculture and Seafood Act pulls seafood and aquaculture into USDA's mainstream agriculture toolkit. It requires annual reporting on USDA seafood purchases, promotion, grants, and research; directs a broad USDA evaluation of seafood processing capacity and aquaculture's access to farm programs; requires aquaculture producers to receive the same consideration as animal agriculture producers for grants and assistance; trains Farm Service Agency regional staff on aquaculture eligibility; authorizes $30,000,000 per year for regional aquaculture centers for fiscal years 2026 through 2030; creates $10,000,000 per year in competitive aquaculture technology grants; and directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to establish an aquaculture insurance policy.
Who Benefits and How
Aquaculture farmers benefit because USDA grant and assistance programs must consider them on the same footing as animal agriculture producers. Aquaculture researchers benefit from a dedicated $30,000,000 annual authorization for regional research, extension, and support centers. Shellfish farmers and sea vegetable growers benefit because the bill expressly includes their sectors in the seafood industry definition and USDA outreach. Domestic seafood processors benefit because USDA must study processing capacity and the effects of overseas processing on U.S. industry.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA grant administrators must update eligibility practices and document how aquaculture producers receive fair consideration. Farm Service Agency regional staff must receive training and communicate aquaculture eligibility to field offices. Federal Crop Insurance Corporation staff must research, develop, and establish an insurance policy for aquaculture products. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of the authorized aquaculture centers and technology research grants.
Key Provisions
- Requires USDA reports on seafood purchases, grants, outreach, research, processing capacity, and environmental impacts.
- Requires aquaculture producers to receive the same USDA grant and assistance consideration as animal agriculture producers.
- Authorizes $30,000,000 per year for regional aquaculture centers from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Authorizes $10,000,000 per year for next-generation seafood and aquaculture technology grants.
- Directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to establish an aquaculture crop insurance policy.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires USDA to treat aquaculture as part of agriculture, report on seafood support, fund regional aquaculture centers, expand research grants, and develop aquaculture crop insurance.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Seafood, Research, Crop Insurance
Primary Purpose
Requires USDA to treat aquaculture as part of agriculture, report on seafood support, fund regional aquaculture centers, expand research grants, and develop aquaculture crop insurance.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Aquaculture farmers
- Aquaculture researchers
- Shellfish farmers
- Seafood industry organizations
Identified Costs
- USDA grant administrators
- Farm Service Agency regional staff
- Federal Crop Insurance Corporation staff
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Pallone (for himself and Mrs. Cammack) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation staff, USDA grant administrators
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology