America's oceans need protection, not politics

America's ocean policy should be guided by science, not politics, and a new proposal aims to establish a durable, law-based framework for federal waters. The Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act would set science-based requirements for research and development, mandate environmental reviews, ongoing monitoring, transparency, and publicly accessible data, and rely on independent scientific assessment to guide decisions. These guardrails would endure across administrations, reducing policy volatility for an industry with significant environmental and economic implications. While NOAA brings scientific expertise, the act seeks to insulate stewardship from political shifts, echoing the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act as precedents for science-based, transparent resource management.