For Immediate Release

March 8, 2018

 

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science recently released the Gulf AquaMapper, a web-based ocean exploration tool for marine aquaculture development in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

The Gulf AquaMapper compiles data that can be used to determine opportunities and constraints for aquaculture development in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The tool was developed in support of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s Gulf Aquaculture Plan and the regional permitting process.

 

The Gulf AquaMapper is a geodatabase featuring over 50 aquaculture-relevant GIS data layers for oceanographic, biological, navigational, military, social, and economic analysis. This is the first spatial planning tool designed specifically for offshore aquaculture development in federal waters of the U.S.

 

This tool was developed in partnership with the NMFS Office of Aquaculture, MarineCadastre.gov, and NOAAs Office of Coastal Management.

 

For more information about the tool go to: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/new-aquamapper-tool-available-permitting-siting-aquaculture-gulf-mexico/

 

For more information about how NOAA National Ocean Service is growing sustainable marine aquaculture practices go to: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/research/marine-spatial-ecology/aquaculture/