There are several reasons why the most prudent option is for NOAA to refrain from establishing AOAs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Chief among these, is that NOAA lacks the legal authority to regulate aquaculture in federal waters. Furthermore, there are grave ecological consequences and inevitable harms to other ocean industries in these regions, should offshore finfish farming be allowed. Some of these concerns would be partially addressed by unbiased application of relevant environmental laws, but former President Trump’s Executive Order 13921 seeks to bypass those critical safeguards. Finally, NOAA’s role in promoting industrial-scale offshore finfish aquaculture introduces unwarranted bias in the decision-making process, and flies in the face of scientific understanding on known harms. Read the full letter here.