The Current State of Organic Aquaculture in the United States

 Topic:

Traditionally, the organic market has been largely dominated by terrestrial farmers, with the aquaculture industry producing a lower diversity and quantity of organically certified products. While numerous countries have taken steps in recent years to facilitate the growth of organic aquaculture, the United States seems to have stalled in its progress. Though the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began taking steps to promulgate organic aquaculture standards in the early 2000s, it has not yet released any such standards. The current administration has remained silent as to its future plans, or possible lack thereof. As a result, U.S. aquaculturists are presently left without a way to access the organic aquaculture market and the increased profits it can yield. This webinar will provide an overview of the current status of organic aquaculture in the United States, and will discuss potential benefits to industry should the country promulgate federal standards in the future.

Participation:

This webinar was recorded on June 19, 2019.  To listen to a recording of the webinar, please click here.

Presenter:

Amanda Nichols is the Ocean and Coastal Law Fellow with the National Sea Grant Law Center, which is housed at the University of Mississippi School of Law. Amanda received a B.A. in English from the University of Mississippi and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law. She earned her LL.M. in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law from the Northwestern School of Law, Lewis and Clark College. She is licensed to practice law in Florida and plans to work on environmental law issues in the state in her future. As the NSGLC fellow, Amanda researches, publishes, and presents on legal and policy issues related to aquaculture, agriculture and food, and ocean and coastal matters.

Research & Materials:

The State of Organic Aquaculture in the United States (Nichols)