From SeafoodNews, Feb. 22 - NOAA has released its preliminary national seafood strategy, outlining how the management agency will support the U.S. domestic seafood economy and sector efforts in the coming years.

The strategy, released Feb. 14, focuses on the work of NOAA Fisheries in "science-based" management of U.S. marine fisheries. The strategy also addresses many other factors affecting the seafood industry, including the financial viability of the industry, the resilience of coastal communities that depend on fisheries, the impact of international trade and the opportunities it may present, and the importance of seafood as a source of nutrition and food security.

NOAA said the strategy document was developed for several key reasons, starting with the fact that seafood is "good for people.

Seafood is one of the essential nutrients for human health and well-being, and it is critical to feeding a growing global population.

The second motivation is that seafood is “good for the economy”. The U.S. harvests about 10 billion pounds of seafood each year, with annual port revenues of $6.3 billion. The seafood industry supports up to 1.2 million jobs and generates $165 billion in value for the entire economy.

Another driver is that seafood is "good for the planet", NOAA says, noting that in the case of responsible U.S. fishing, seafood is also an environmentally friendly way to produce nutritious food, and because of its relatively low carbon footprint and efficient use of resources, it is integral to a food system that reduces and mitigates the effects of climate change. .

Using these drivers, NOAA has developed four primary goals for an initial national seafood strategy:

-Support fisheries by using fisheries science, fisheries management, and habitat conservation to maintain or increase U.S. wild harvest production;

-Establish a "climate change resilient seafood industry";

-Increase U.S. aquaculture production by supporting the sustainable growth of the domestic industry, with the central goal of the draft strategy being for NOAA to provide "science-based advice and tools" to grow the U.S. aquaculture industry;

-Increase access to domestic and global markets for the U.S. mariculture industry.

NOAA's ultimate goal is to "strengthen the entire U.S. mariculture industry", including a commitment to improving the supply chain and developing the workforce.

NOAA says the strategy calls for it to support the U.S. commercial fishing and aquaculture industry; work with other federal agencies to modernize U.S. maritime industry infrastructure, such as vessels, hatcheries, ports, warehouses and waterfronts; and conduct workforce development to attract new workers to the industry.

NOAA is seeking public comment on the strategy through March 16, 2023. NOAA said it also plans to hold video conferences on March 2 and March 9 to get the public's perspective on the strategy.