Rollbacks to purported ecosystem and community protections are cause for serious concern – and further proof that this bill sells out coastal communities.
Don’t Cage Our Oceans, a national coalition of 65+ member groups, strongly opposes the latest version of the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act. Introduced quietly in the House in July 2026, this revised bill (H.R. 9673) strips away previously proposed safeguards, making it easier for industrial fish farms to carve out large areas of federally-managed ocean waters. This version of the bill continues to ignore concerns raised by hundreds of independent fishermen, aquafarmers, environmental advocates, scientists, and coastal communities at large, about the hazards of offshore finfish farming.
Though the bill is still being sold as “research,” the revised version further scales back its already-meager research requirements. In addition, the timing coincides with NOAA’s launch of a nationwide search for new and expanded Aquaculture Opportunity Areas, or AOAs, in public ocean waters – despite public pushback on areas NOAA had already identified.
The revised bill contains several troubling changes, but these FOUR stand out most:
- Permits are now buyable and tradable, risking consolidation.
- Working waterfront grant funds have been removed.
- Protections for communities and oceans have been removed.
- States and Tribes lose their ability to reject a proposed farm.
Read the full statement to see what’s at stake for coastal communities →