Fish Farm Public Hearing of, by, and for the People

Despite overwhelming public opposition to the Vellela Epsilon offshore Fish Farm at the January 2020 EPA hearing, the Army Corps of Engineers is set to issue a permit for a Fish Farm off Sarasota's shores without holding a hearing.

The farm, the first in a proposed Gulf aquaculture opportunity area, poses grave danger to marine life, the ecosystem, tourism and the economy. Fish waste, pollution and feed may increase red tide blooms. 

A coalition of concerned citizens will hold its own hearing on September 30 - and the input will be sent to the Army Corps.

ACTION ITEMS:

1. Please join the Virtual Hearing to express your views: Eventbrite link to virtual hearing on Offshore Fish Farm September 30.

2. Click to submit audio, video, or text comments

3. On September 30, use this link for the Live Link on Facebook (you don't need to belong to Facebook to participate).

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Bonus: 

Here is a sign-on business letter for local businesses. If you can, please sign the letter here. 

 

Calling all fish harvesters, restaurants, tourism/entertainment industries, retailers, and more!

If you are a business owner/operator in the Gulf of Mexico, we hope you will consider signing onto this letter on behalf of coastal businesses to public officials demanding that they prioritize Gulf businesses, support your recovery from Coronavirus devastation, and call on the government to halt the development of new industrial aquaculture facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. You can sign on and read the full letter here. Deadline is Friday, Oct 2.

Industrial aquaculture facilities push external costs of operation onto the ocean ecosystem and coastal economies, from direct discharge of toxins to privatization of the ocean. For the Gulf of Mexico, this means extra nutrients to feed the red tide and increased competition for limited marine space (and much more). The industry has its sights set on the Gulf of Mexico as the first place it wants to operate in the U.S. – starting with a project off the coast of Sarasota, to be followed by a larger “Aquaculture Opportunity Area” to host up to 5 facilities in the region. This could devastate Gulf businesses that have already been struggling to recover from recent natural disasters and devastation from the impacts of COVID-19. 

Join us in telling public officials to support local and coastal businesses in the Gulf, and stop pushing a harmful new industry in the region! Deadline is Friday, Oct 2.