New MARA Act Pushes Offshore Fish Farming: Sets 10-Year Permits and Creates Automatic Approval Loophole

The Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act (MARA Act) of 2025 is the federal government’s big push to get commercial-scale fish farming—what they call offshore aquaculture—up and running in U.S. ocean waters. Essentially, this bill is designed to cut down on the seafood we import by creating a whole new domestic industry, and it does this by setting up the rules, the research, and the money to make it happen.

The bill immediately creates a new Office of Aquaculture within NOAA (Sec. 101). This office isn't just for show; it's the central hub for coordinating everything: research, permits, and industry support. It’s also tasked with developing performance standards for offshore farms, which must prioritize things like environmental laws, using the best available science, and even considering traditional knowledge from Tribal and Indigenous communities. This is the new policy sheriff in town, and it has a mandate to grow the industry while trying to keep it safe and sustainable.

The Ocean Farm Testing Ground

Before launching a full-scale industry, the MARA Act focuses on demonstration projects—basically, test runs—in the ocean (Title II). These projects are crucial because they're meant to figure out if commercial ocean farming can survive tough weather without losing gear, harming protected species like whales, or polluting the water (Sec. 201). Operators who want a 10-year permit for these projects have to meet strict rules, including partnering with a university (like a Sea Grant college or an HBCU) and ensuring the operation minimizes escapes and pollution (Sec. 202).

If you’re a traditional fisher or run a coastal business, this is where you need to pay attention. The bill requires the Administrator to give priority to projects that help fishers and farmers hurt by disasters like COVID-19. However, the bill also simplifies the permitting process by making the new Office of Aquaculture the lead agency for all environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (Sec. 203). This centralization means faster approvals, but it also means one agency holds the reins for complex environmental oversight.

The 90-Day Approval Clock

One provision that raises an eyebrow is found in the permitting rules for these demonstration projects. After the public comment period closes, the Administrator has 90 days to issue, defer, or deny the permit. Here’s the kicker: if they fail to do anything within those 90 days, and no Governor or Tribal leader from an affected coastal area formally objected, the permit is automatically considered approved (Sec. 202(e)). This creates a powerful incentive for government inaction to result in approval, potentially bypassing necessary final review. For coastal communities worried about navigation or environmental impact, this means any delay or bureaucratic slip-up on the federal end could lead to a project being rubber-stamped by default.

Investing in the Future Workforce and Waterfronts

The MARA Act isn't just about fish; it's about jobs and infrastructure (Title III). It sets up a significant grant program to establish Aquaculture Centers of Excellence at minority-serving institutions, including HBCUs and Tribal colleges (Sec. 302). This means targeted funding—$25 million authorized annually from 2026 to 2030—to train the next generation of aquaculture entrepreneurs and researchers, focusing on business planning and sustainable practices.

In a nod to existing industry, the bill also creates the Working Waterfronts Preservation Grant Program (Sec. 303), authorizing $20 million annually for five years. This money is designed to help businesses involved in commercial fishing, boatbuilding, and aquaculture maintain their access to the water. This is a critical lifeline for coastal towns where development pressure often pushes out traditional maritime industries, ensuring that the infrastructure needed for both wild-catch and farmed seafood remains intact.

What It Means for You

If you work in a coastal industry, this bill means new competition and new opportunities. The government is committing to a major expansion of ocean farming, backed by extensive scientific studies to figure out the best way to regulate it (Sec. 401). If you’re a recreational boater or a commercial fisher, you need to be aware of the demonstration project locations and use the public comment periods to voice concerns about navigation and access, especially given the automatic approval clause. The bill’s explicit requirement to consider cumulative environmental impacts (Sec. 205) is a good check against piecemeal development, but the real impact will depend on how rigorously the new Office of Aquaculture enforces its own rules.