EPA approves aquaculture operation offshore Sarasota

Federal environmental authorities this month granted a permit for the operation of a long-discussed aquaculture operation offshore of Sarasota-area beaches.

The permit from the Environmental Protection Agency on May 15 gives Hawaii-based Ocean Era permission to launch its Velella Epsilon project in federal waters, about 40 miles off the Sarasota County coast. The permit allows the raising of about 20,000 red drum in a submerged pen, anchored to the seabed but suspended above it. Assuming an 85% survival rate, the EPA permit estimates it will produce about 45,000 pounds of fish in a year.

The permit allows operation between June 15 and July 7, 2027, though reapplication is permitted. The permit includes specific steps and requirements for monitoring and sampling surrounding waters.

Among the requirements:

• There shall be no discharge of floating solids or visible foam in other than trace amounts.
• The effluent shall not cause a visible sheen on the receiving water.
• The discharge of surfactants, dispersants, and detergents is not allowed.
• The discharge of any solid material not in compliance with the other parts of the permit is prohibited.

The original plan for the operation was to raise almaco jack in the offshore pen, though the company switched to red drum, citing better market opportunities.

In 2020, then-Sarasota Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch, speaking on behalf of the city, said the discharges that could come as a result of the project are cause for concern.

“Having recently experienced the ecological and economic devastation from red tide, our city is extremely sensitive to the ongoing threat of red tide,” she said.

In a news release from the Center for Food Safety, Marianne Cufone, executive director and counsel for Recirculating Farms said, "It's so disappointing to see the Environmental Protection Agency approve a permit for a widely opposed offshore finfish aquaculture project in U.S. waters. The Gulf states are already dealing with spinning and dying smalltooth sawfish and rays, massive coral die off, giant mats of rotting sargassum, algal blooms, and a dead zone. We simply cannot handle more pollution in our ocean waters." 

On April 17, President Trump signed an executive order intended to aid domestic seafood production and competitiveness. 

A White House news release on the topic in part says: “The Order establishes an America First Seafood Strategy to boost U.S. seafood production, sales, and exports, ensuring long-term industry growth and global competitiveness.’’