What is aquaculture?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the lead Federal agency on marine aquaculture regulatory and policy matters. In this role, NOAA defines aquaculture as “the propagation and rearing of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected aquatic environments for any commercial, recreational, or public purpose.”  NOAA’s definition of aquaculture was established in 1998 as part of the NOAA Aquaculture Policy.