HR5746-119

What This Bill Does

The MARA Act of 2025 builds a federal test-and-study framework for offshore aquaculture. It establishes an Office of Aquaculture within the National Marine Fisheries Service headquarters, requires regional aquaculture coordinators in NOAA regional fisheries offices, and authorizes the office to coordinate research, assessment, demonstration permitting, outreach, international issues, Sea Grant collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and public reporting. NOAA must create an offshore aquaculture assessment program within 180 days to evaluate facility designs, severe-weather survival, escape prevention, protected species impacts, pollution, habitat, water chemistry, socioeconomic effects, and compatibility with ocean users. After the assessment program begins, NOAA issues demonstration project permits for native or historically naturalized species, with escape plans, pollution controls, NEPA, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and Marine Mammal Protection Act compliance, public notices, consultation, monitoring, termination authority, and limits on project number, duration, and scale. NOAA acts as lead federal information and NEPA coordination agency for demonstration reviews. Operators must report production, wild-species interactions, mitigation, gear integrity, effluent, environmental effects, demographic data, coastal community benefits, and navigation impacts. The bill also funds aquaculture research at $5 million annually, creates industry marketing and training grants, establishes regional expert networks, authorizes $25 million annually for Aquaculture Centers of Excellence at covered minority-serving, Native Hawaiian-serving, Alaska Native-serving, HBCU, and Tribal institutions, creates a regionally equitable Working Waterfronts Grant Program for acquisition, facility improvements, climate adaptation, planning, and preservation agreements, requires sustainable aquaculture outreach, and commissions National Academies and GAO reports within five years.

Who Benefits and How

Offshore aquaculture companies benefit from a demonstration-permit pathway, NOAA coordination, industry support grants, and technical networks. Aquaculture students at minority-serving institutions benefit from $25 million annually for Aquaculture Centers of Excellence and curriculum development. State coastal management programs benefit from Working Waterfronts Grant Program funding for acquisition, wharfs, boat ramps, related facilities, climate adaptation, and preservation planning. Coastal community residents benefit from assessment, reporting, consultation, waterfront preservation, and local benefit analysis before commercial-scale expansion.

Who Bears the Burden and How

NOAA Office of Aquaculture staff must coordinate research, assessments, permits, reporting, outreach, grants, regional staff, and public transparency. Federal permit agency staff must participate in coordinated informal consultation and consolidated environmental review for demonstration projects. Demonstration project compliance managers must meet species, design, monitoring, reporting, environmental, navigation, and permit compliance requirements. National Academies researchers and GAO auditors must produce major reports on offshore aquaculture regulation, environmental viability, and permitting.

Key Provisions

• Establishes NOAA's Office of Aquaculture and regional aquaculture coordinator representation.
• Authorizes aquaculture research at $5 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
• Creates a 180-day offshore aquaculture assessment program using best science and demonstration project information.
• Creates demonstration permits with environmental, species, siting, monitoring, consultation, and termination conditions.
• Requires NOAA to coordinate federal permit information and consolidated NEPA review where allowed.
• Requires annual operator reports on production, wildlife interactions, technology, environmental impacts, demographics, community benefits, and navigation.
• Creates industry support grants, regional networks, and Aquaculture Centers of Excellence grants at covered institutions.
• Creates a Working Waterfronts Grant Program for acquisition, improvements, climate adaptation, planning, and preservation agreements.
• Requires sustainable aquaculture outreach and National Academies and GAO studies within five years.