Chapter 13 The Evolutionary Role of Federal Policies and Actions to Support the Sustainable Development of Aquaculture in the United States

Abstract

Aquaculture in the United States is characterized by a diversity of species, systems, environments, and constituents. Local, state, regional, and national programs support sustainable aquaculture development with research and extension programs and other services. Federal agencies provide a variety of farmer support programs and services similar to traditional agricultural crops. Sociopolitical factors influence program directions, national policies, and resource availability. Intramural research programs address long-term projects, and extramural programs respond to new, emerging, or immediate needs. A variety of mechanisms are employed to solicit stakeholder input and develop analytical frameworks for program planning purposes. Many university programs use advisory committees to identify local research and rural development needs. Programs often have dual roles of contributing discovery knowledge to science and achieving relevancy by addressing industry needs. Coordination of a diverse, loosely integrated research and development system has numerous challenges and opportunities for improvement. National and regional aquaculture centers support interdisciplinary and multi-institutional projects directly linked to stakeholders and accountability measures. A federal coordinating body facilitates a multiagency approach to determine federal-wide issues and research and development priority needs with diverse stakeholder input linked to national science and technology development goals. Assessment procedures are aimed to improve program performance across federal agencies by directly linking program effectiveness to budgeting and management decisions. Methods vary for monitoring and reporting outcomes and impacts of completed projects. Information is provided online with reports on progress and accomplishments. More attention to post-award project management is critical. There are numerous lessons learned across the diversity of publicly funded research and development programs and federal policies and actions. New opportunities exist to improve federal program services to support commercially sustainable aquaculture development and the public’s interest.