Sec. 401. Office of Aquaculture
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The Secretary shall establish and provide resources for— an Office of Aquaculture within the National Marine Fisheries Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration headquarters to implement this title; and an Office of Aquaculture presence in each of the regional fisheries offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which presence shall, at a minimum, be sufficient to fulfill the duties under subsection (b), but may be increased to the extent warranted by the activity and interest of aquaculture stakeholders in the region.
The Office of Aquaculture shall— ensure the implementation of this Act; coordinate regulatory, scientific, outreach, and international issues related to aquaculture within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; collaborate with and leverage existing efforts by the National Sea Grant College program to— conduct aquaculture outreach, education, extension services, and training efforts; and engage with aquaculture stakeholders and, from time to time, convene conferences for aquaculture stakeholders to exchange information and ideas; and maintain aquaculture capacity in each of the regional fisheries offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including at least one Regional Aquaculture Coordinator in each such office.
In addition to the resources required under subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish and provide additional resources for an aquaculture research program that draws upon the scientific capacity of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration programs such as the Fisheries Science Centers, Sea Grant, and the National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science to support the Office of Aquaculture’s efforts to implement this title. Specifically, the program shall— ensure that offshore aquaculture operations permitted under this title are scientifically monitored to support the implementation of this Act, evaluate data, and conduct additional research to support the development of sustainable offshore aquaculture in accordance with this title; and administer the research and development grant program under section 203.
The Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee shall designate the Aquaculture Subcommittee as a permanent, standing subcommittee to serve as an external board to advise the Secretary on offshore aquaculture. The Aquaculture Subcommittee shall coordinate with the National Sea Grant Advisory Board, as appropriate. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall transmit its budget request for the Office of Aquaculture as a separate line with the National Marine Fisheries Service.