"Debate Churns as NOAA Is Set To Open U.S. Waters To Aquaculture"

"Giant cages float off the shores of Hawaii, housing hundreds of thousands of yellowtail snapper in the deep waters of the Pacific.

The so-called Hawaiian Kampachi spend about one year in their net pens before they're put on ice and sold to restaurants and wholesalers in the United States and abroad. They are a rare breed: the product of one of the few open-water fish farms in the United States.

They may not keep that status for long. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is on the verge of setting a regulatory system and allowing as many as 20 permits for farms in the Gulf of Mexico, in what supporters hope is the seed of a nationwide industry."

Emily Yehle reports for Greenwire November 20, 2014.