DEER ISLAND—Federal lawmakers are considering a bill that could reshape how seafood is farmed in the United States,and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, oyster growers are already showing what that future could look like.

The Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act would strengthen U.S. aquaculture by funding a large-scale demonstration fish farm and streamlining the federal permitting process. In a Dec. 2 letter, more than 150 seafood businesses, researchers and nonprofit leaders urged Congress to pass the bill, saying it is needed to help the industry grow and compete globally. 

“We must grow more of our own seafood here at home, using modern tools and technologies that protect ocean health and support coastal economies,” the letter said. “The United States imports the majority of our seafood, half of which is farmed overseas.”

Off the coast of Deer Island, Mark Havard is already part of that growing industry. Each week, he tends thousands of oysters growing in floating cages in the Mississippi Sound through his business, Two Crackers Oyster Co.  

Havard’s operation is part of Mississippi’s expanding marine aquaculture sector, which has grown in recent years as the state works to rebuild and protect its iconic oyster industry. 

Mississippi’s shift to oyster farming 

Mississippi oyster harvests once relied almost entirely on wild reefs. After decades of natural and manmade disasters, state officials turned to aquaculture as a way to ensure oysters remain available even after future setbacks. 

That shift led the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to begin training coastal residents to farm oysters. 

“We’ve been training residents of the three coastal counties since 2018,” said Jason Rider, the department’s Shellfish Bureau director. “The goal of the program is to take individuals that are interested in oyster farming or permaculture and teaching them the basics.” 

The program includes classroom instruction and a year of hands-on field training. 

“The first phase is classroom (based), so we have five classroom meetings. We give individuals information on how to start a farm, the basics of oyster biology, the gear that’s needed, real world requirements of what’s involved with it,” Rider said. “After that first phase, the DMR has an area behind Deer Island that we provide growers or individuals the opportunity to borrow gear and space and then train and raise some oysters for about a year through that program. And we give them again the education that they need, and we help them throughout that process.” 

After completing the program, participants decide whether to continue into business. Of the roughly 100 students who have gone through the program, Rider said about 30 chose to move forward. 

Havard was one of those students in 2019. His company has since grown from 225,000 seed oysters to more than 400,000. 

“I grew up on a cattle farm,” he said. “I enjoy the husbandry side of things, and oysters are just a different animal compared to a cow.” 

For Havard, the work is demanding but rewarding. 

“It’s a dirty, nasty job. There are easier and cleaner ways to make money,” he said. “But I’m on a boat twice a week, and I absolutely love it.”  

A global industry with local impact

Researchers like Kelly Lucas, who is the vice president of research at The University of Southern Mississippi, said Mississippi’s shift toward aquaculture reflects a broader global shift in seafood production.  

“The growth in seafood is all coming from aquaculture. And everywhere else in the world does it better than we do,” Lucas said. “We can’t take any more out of the wild … we’re at maximum capacity — so, any gain in producing food right is going to come from aquaculture.” 

Lucas has worked on aquaculture research, policy and regulations for more than 17 years — and signed the December letter to Congress. She said the United States has the technology to expand aquaculture but lacks a clear federal path to do so. 

“There’s absolutely no reason that the United States should be 16th in production of aquaculture products, or that we should be exporting our technology to other places, so they can grow aquaculture products and so that we can import it,” Lucas said.  

According to Lucas, one of the biggest barriers is the slow and complex federal permitting process. 

“There’s a lot of different agencies involved, and every agency kind of points out the other agency as to who’s really the responsible party,” Lucas explained.  “There’s no specific thing saying (which agency is) responsible for aquaculture.” 

Lucas said some companies wait up to a decade for permits. 

“You can bankrupt a whole company; they get tired. And you know what they do? If they’re an American company, they go south. They go right across the border into Mexico or into Honduras or into Panama and they put their farms there, and then they ship their product back to the United States,” Lucas said. 

Lucas said the solution is creating a clear, accountable federal process so companies are not stalled for years before they can operate. 

“Having a path, having an entity that’s responsible for making sure that occurs in a timely, timely manner, so that these things aren’t just lingering out there for forever,” Lucas said.

The MARA Act remains in committee, but researchers and growers said it’s outcome could shape the future of aquaculture in Mississippi and across the country.