I am writing to urge you to oppose the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act. While presented as “research,” this bill would fast-track large-scale offshore finfish farms in U.S. federal waters. It would grant corporations 10-year leases to operate farms under the banner of “demonstration projects,” effectively planting these facilities across our oceans.

The MARA Act would also hand permitting authority to the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Aquaculture, creating a one-stop approval shop for industry, while spending millions in taxpayer dollars to promote a controversial practice.

Industrial offshore finfish farms are concentrated animal feedlots on the ocean. These operations crowd carnivorous fish into massive cages or pens, creating breeding grounds for parasites and disease that threaten wild fish and the livelihoods of coastal communities. They leak untreated waste, excess feed, and antibiotics directly into shared waters. They are prone to mass escapes, where hundreds of thousands of farmed fish compete with wild populations for food and habitat, spread disease, and can alter genetics. And, these farms burn through huge amounts of wild fish just to feed farmed fish: up to 5 pounds of wild caught fish to feed 1 pound of farm raised fish.

Offshore fish farms don’t just harm marine ecosystems; they also threaten our seafood supply chain and coastal economies. By consolidating power in the hands of multinational corporations, they undercut fishing families, shellfish growers, and local food producers who have been feeding our communities for generations. These operations flood consumer markets with cheap, low-quality fish, crowding out diverse, community-run seafood systems that sustain working families and coastal communities.

The supposed benefits of industrial offshore aquaculture pale in comparison to its costs. Jobs and revenue generated by these mega-farms flow upward to corporate executives and shareholders. Yet, the risks fall onto coastal communities and the taxpaying public.

Instead of promoting a model that pollutes our oceans and weakens our seafood supply, Congress should invest in community-based fisheries and aquaculture. This means supporting independent fishermen, family-owned seafood businesses, and small-scale aquaculture operations that create good jobs, steward ecosystems, and strengthen local and regional food systems.

I urge you to reject the MARA Act of 2025 and instead support legislation like the Keep Finfish Free Act of 2025, which protects federal waters from industrial fish farms and defends the future of clean, healthy seafood, thriving oceans, and resilient coastal communities.