ABSTRACT
Perhaps surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?), the three passages quoted were written respectively in 1978, 1992 and 2000. By sharing their sentiments, I intend to imply neither that a framework for mariculture in the United States is non-existent nor that the existing framework is unworthy of study, but rather, only that it is poorly defined. Thus, one goal of this chapter is to review the present framework for mariculture in the United States, focusing on legislative, administrative and judicial developments. In addition,
ongoing developments in the United States allow us to sketch out where mariculture policy in the United States may be heading should it eventually mature beyond its current embryonic state. Specifically, an ongoing effort by a research team to devise an operational framework for US mariculture in conjunction with the work of two Ocean Commissions4 – one sponsored by the US government, the other by a non-governmental organization (NGO) – provides a roadmap for mariculture policy development.
