Call to Action: Tell the US Army Corps of Engineers that Our Gulf is Not For Sale!

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to issue a permit to the first industrial aquaculture facility in the Gulf of Mexico, without any opportunity for the public to weigh in. This attempt to silence stakeholders goes against democracy and existing law, and we won’t stand for it! So we’re taking matters into our own hands to ensure our voices are heard.

WHAT: Virtual People’s Hearing on Industrial Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico

RSVP: http://foe.org/nofishfarms

WHEN: Wednesday, September 30, 10:30 am - 12 pm Eastern OR drop-in testimony from 6:30 - 7:30 pm Eastern

All comments will be recorded and delivered to relevant officials. If you would prefer to submit comments independently of the hearing, you can email your audio, video, and text files to dcoo [at] foe.org.

ORGANIZERS

Center for Biological Diversity
Friends of the Earth U.S.
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance

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WHY?

The federal government is pushing to develop industrial offshore aquaculture all around the U.S., starting with a facility in the Gulf of Mexico. In a single year, this floating factory farm, named Velella Epsilon, would raise more than 70,000 pounds of finfish off the coast of Sarasota, Florida with the aim of then placing more commercial operations throughout the Gulf in the near future.

Now the EPA is poised to grant the first permit to this facility despite overwhelming public opposition, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has stated that it will soon follow EPA’s announcement with the second and final permit needed for the facility to be built.

But even more concerning, the Corps is entirely sidestepping the public’s opportunity to comment on the proposed permit. Join us in sending a loud and clear message to the federal government: you can’t silence our opposition! Don’t put floating factory farms in our Gulf!

Offshore aquaculture involves the concentrated cultivation of finfish in net pens, pods, and cages. These industrial marine fish farms allow free exchange between the cage and the surrounding environment and can have many dangerous impacts to public health, our ecosystem, and the economy.

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ONLINE FORM OPTION

You can also submit your comment now: Tell the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that our Gulf is not for sale! Join us in telling the federal government that we will not be silenced here:

https://foe.org/submit-your-comment-now-tell-the-u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-that-our-gulf-is-not-for-sale/

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