A federal appeals court has struck down plans to open federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico to fish farming

A federal appeals court has struck down plans to open federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico to fish farming.

On Monday, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans blocked recent federal rules that would have allowed offshore aquaculture operations for the first time in the Gulf - a plan opposed by environmental groups and elements of the seafood industry that depend on wild fisheries.

The aquaculture rule authorized NOAA Fisheries to issue up to 20 permits to grow species such as red drum, cobia, and almaco jack for an initial period of 10 years.

It would have allowed aquaculture three nautical miles off Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and nine nautical miles off Texas and the west coast of Florida.

The Center for Food Safety filed the lawsuit in 2016 on behalf of the Gulf Fishermen’s Association, the Gulf Restoration Network, the Charter Fisherman’s Association, the Florida Wildlife Federation and others.

The lawsuit raised concerns about how raising fish in the Gulf will affect the environment and the fishing industry particularly with issues of pollution from feed, effluent and antibiotics flowing out of the pens and into the wild species.

The 2-1 decision affirms a 2018 lower court ruling that was appealed by the Trump administration.

The ruling clarifies that Congress would need to create authority for permitting offshore aquaculture before such facilities could be approved.

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