5-03-2023 1:36pm

NOAA Fisheries Public Scoping Report

Anita Johnson-Brown Editor

After reading about the Aquaculture Opportunity Areas Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Summaries. It was really interesting to hear about the potential benefits and drawbacks of developing aquaculture in different areas. There were a lot of concerns raised about the impact on local ecosystems and fishing industries, but it seems like there is a lot of potential for sustainable and profitable aquaculture if it's done right. I'm looking forward to learning more about this topic and seeing how it develops. Aquaculture Opportunity Areas Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Summaries

NOAA Fisheries has recently released Public Scoping Summaries for the Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) in Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico. These summaries offer a comprehensive overview of the submissions received during the public scoping periods, highlighting the content and themes of these submissions.

In 2022, both the Southeast and West Coast Regional offices published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register, announcing their plans to develop a draft Preliminary Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the AOA. This Notice of Intent initiated a 60-day public scoping process for the PEIS, which was held during the summer of 2022. In addition to the Federal Register, NOAA also conducted virtual public scoping meetings to gather verbal comments which were recorded and included in the scoping summaries.

Public participation is a crucial aspect of developing programmatic environmental impact statements, as it helps to inform the scope and context of these documents. When making decisions, NOAA takes into account public feedback along with the best available science.

You can find the Public Scoping Reports for each region by visiting NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region AOA Public Scoping Report.

By Anita Johnson-Brown