Sponsors (2)
The bill expands federal support, research funding, insurance options, and clearer USDA eligibility for aquaculture—boosting industry growth, resilience, and supply-chain resilience—while increasing federal costs, creating implementation and administrative burdens, and producing funding trade-offs and oversight challenges.
Aquaculture producers (farmers, small businesses) gain clearer, department-wide eligibility guidance and greater, more consistent access to USDA grants and assistance, improving their ability to obtain federal support.
Regional aquaculture centers, researchers, and producers receive sustained federal R&D and technology funding (combined ~$40M/year) to accelerate aquaculture innovation, improve productivity, and support environmental resilience (reduced pollution/fuel use).
Aquaculture producers (farmers, small businesses) gain access to federally supported crop insurance developed by FCIC, providing new risk protection for aquaculture operations.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending (roughly $40M/year for R&D plus other program costs), which could raise budgetary pressure or require trade-offs with other priorities.
Some existing agricultural programs or applicants may receive fewer resources as funding is reallocated or new aquaculture funding priorities create competition and uncertainty for producers in other sectors.
USDA will face added administrative and implementation burdens (reports, memoranda, trainings, recurring events, new program rollouts), diverting staff time and resources from other work and raising compliance costs.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Directs USDA to treat aquaculture like other animal agriculture, require reports, fund research and competitive grants, cap some indirect costs, and direct development of aquaculture insurance.
Introduced August 5, 2025 by Frank Pallone · Last progress August 5, 2025
Requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to treat aquaculture (fish, shellfish, sea vegetables and other controlled-water farming) like other animal agriculture for grants and programs, to produce new reports on USDA spending and role in seafood and aquaculture, and to expand federal funding, research, and insurance work for aquaculture. It directs USDA training and outreach for staff, creates competitive grant funding for next-generation seafood technology, caps certain administrative indirect costs, and directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to develop aquaculture insurance. The bill provides multi-year funding authorizations for research and innovation (including specified annual appropriations for FY2026–FY2030), requires annual and one-time reports to Congress on USDA aquaculture activity, and sets deadlines for USDA memos, education, and stakeholder outreach to improve access to USDA programs for aquaculture producers.