Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4), member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, today praised the $4.7 million investment by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program in twelve American aquaculture research initiatives throughout the United States, including funding for the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. Specifically, about $1 million of the award will support Mississippi State University’s Ganesh Karunakaran, an assistant research professor of aquaculture at the university, as he leads a team of researchers on the project “Economic status and contribution of U.S. aquaculture: Analyzing viability, economic impact, and management measures for future success.”
“The investments we make today in our trusted researchers and domestic aquaculture industry will prove to be beneficial for generations. I am pleased to see this funding by NOAA will expand our understanding of aquaculture, and I trust that it will provide valuable insight as the United States grows our hand in domestic seafood production,” said Palazzo.
Palazzo has been a long-time advocate of expanding aquaculture in the United States because it will create jobs, reduce our reliance on foreign seafood imports, and strengthen our domestic food security and supply. In Congress, Palazzo has authored the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act which seeks to increase the United States’ involvement in the production of healthy, sustainable, and affordable seafood.
The award will provide funding for research over the course of three years and is aimed at advancing the understanding of aquaculture business economics and furnishing the industry with crucial information for growing a sustainable seafood
Press Release
2/8/2021
