H.R. 9802 — MARA Act of 2026

This section establishes the Office of Aquaculture within National Marine Fisheries Service headquarters and requires the Administrator to provide it with sufficient resources and at least one regional aquaculture coordinator in each regional fisheries office. The Office must coordinate implementation of the Act, including offshore aquaculture permitting and assessment programs; develop best management practices that prioritize native species, environmental compliance, and reduced reliance on wild forage; conduct research and outreach; administer industry support and required studies; and include its funding as a separate line item in the agency budget request.

This section establishes an assessment program for the viability of offshore aquaculture within 180 days after enactment. The program examines commercial-scale facility designs for survival under severe weather and ocean conditions while preventing escapes, wildlife entanglements, and marine environmental impacts; monitoring technologies for compliance and interference with existing uses; and relative risks, benefits, and costs across species, geographies, and conditions. It requires a public report on demonstration projects and progress within 5 years.

This section directs the Administrator to issue permits for commercial-scale demonstration projects for offshore aquaculture facilities after establishing the assessment program under section 201. Projects must use only native or historically naturalized species, prohibit genetically modified organisms posing material ecological risks, minimize escape and pollution risks, comply with the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and National Environmental Policy Act, and undergo a 90-day application review followed by 60 days of public comment from specially affected coastal states and tribes.

This section designates the Administration as the lead Federal agency for permitting information and coordination on demonstration projects under section 202. It requires the Secretaries of Commerce, Interior, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and the department housing the Coast Guard, plus the EPA Administrator and Chief of Engineers, to initiate a rulemaking within 1 year for a unified permitting process covering initial issuance, renewal, and transfer of permits. It mandates a single consolidated NEPA environmental review led by the Administration and requires agencies to coordinate reviews to respond to applications within 240 days. It also classifies offshore aquaculture operations as commercial fishing under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

This section requires owners and operators of offshore aquaculture demonstration projects to submit annual reports to the Office containing production data, wild species interactions and mitigation results, effluent and gear monitoring practices, environmental and ecosystem impacts, feed sourcing details including wild-caught marine ingredient concentrations, data for the National Academies study, demographic and economic impact information, and navigation and safety effects. It directs the Administrator to provide technical assistance on request, establish an emergency reporting process for protected species interactions, and safeguard personally identifiable and confidential business information.

This section provides that a permit for a demonstration project issued under section 202 does not supersede or substitute for any other federal or state authorization required by law. It also provides that the title does not apply to permit applications in process or permits in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.

This section directs the Administrator to support domestic and international marketing of cultured species through existing grant programs, establish regional networks of experts and stakeholders to provide technical assistance and outreach on offshore aquaculture, create and maintain a public aquaculture database on research, technologies, and best practices while safeguarding confidential information, and organize region-specific technical assistance programs for offshore aquaculture operators that include regular business consultations.

This section directs the Administrator to contract with the Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to complete, within 5 years after establishment of the assessment program under section 201, a study developing the scientific basis for regulating offshore aquaculture. The study must identify optimal facility operations, a definition of responsible feed and inputs, potential adverse environmental and wildlife effects, mitigation methods, data needs, economic impacts, and recommendations for legislative or administrative action.

This section requires the Comptroller General to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees within 5 years after the Administrator establishes the offshore aquaculture assessment program under section 201. The report must examine permitting, monitoring, and regulation of offshore aquaculture over the 15-year period before and after the program’s establishment, drawing on literature, case studies, and stakeholder input, and must assess the feasibility of designating a lead permitting agency, identify lessons learned across multiple operational and regulatory factors, and offer recommendations on regulatory processes, safeguards, coordination, and stakeholder involvement.