MARA Act of 2026

Sponsor: Mike Ezell (Republican-MS)July 21, 2026

AI-generated ?

Report an error

Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Creates a federal program to study and permit offshore fish farms in U.S. waters.

This bill would create a program within NOAA to study and permit commercial-scale offshore fish farming projects. It aims to gather scientific data to safely regulate fish farming in the ocean, support the seafood industry, and reduce the U.S. seafood trade deficit. It would also set up an office to coordinate these efforts and provide support to businesses.

What Would Change

Currently, there isn't a dedicated federal program to study and permit commercial-scale offshore fish farming in federal waters. This bill would create a new Office of Aquaculture within NOAA and an assessment program to issue permits for demonstration projects. These projects would gather scientific data to help the government create future rules for safe and sustainable offshore fish farming.

Key Provisions

Establishes an Office of Aquaculture within NOAA to manage and coordinate offshore fish farming efforts.
Creates a program to study commercial-scale offshore fish farms through demonstration projects.
Requires NOAA to issue permits for these demonstration projects, with strict rules to protect wildlife and the environment.
Requires demonstration projects to cultivate only native or historically naturalized species and avoid genetically modified organisms that pose a high risk.
Sets up a unified permitting and review process across multiple federal agencies for offshore fish farming projects.
Requires the National Academies of Sciences to study the science needed for effective offshore aquaculture regulation.

View on Congress.gov

HR 9802 · 119th Congress · July 21, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

MARA Act of 2026

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity