; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. Sec. 3. Definitions. Sec. 4. Office of Marine Aquaculture. Sec. 5. Administration. Sec. 6. Offshore aquaculture permits. Sec. 7. Restrictions on offshore aquaculture activities. Sec. 8. Recordkeeping and access to information. Sec. 9. Programmatic environmental impact statements. Sec. 10. Environmental and management standards. Sec. 11. Research and development grant program. Sec. 12. Enforcement. Sec. 13. Authorization of appropriations. 2. Findings and purposes (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) There is increasing interest within the United States in developing commercial marine aquaculture, in order to provide nutritious, sustainable seafood for domestic consumption and export to global markets. (2) There is a need for a Federal program in the United States that specifically provides a comprehensive, nationwide permitting system for, or management of, marine aquaculture facilities in the exclusive economic zone. (3) Regulatory certainty and security of tenure are needed to make business investment decisions about marine aquaculture. (4) Potential economic, environmental, and social benefits can be derived from marine aquaculture technologies. To balance those benefits against concerns about environmental and socioeconomic impacts, additional research and development is needed to adequately assess the potential for adverse impacts on the environment and coastal communities, to develop tools and practices for proper siting and operation of marine aquaculture facilities, and to ensure that those impacts, if any, can be mitigated through improvements of marine aquaculture technologies. (5) The United States is the leading global net importer of fish and fishery products, with over 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States, by value, imported from other countries, about 50 percent of which is derived from aquaculture. The United States, as a result, runs a substantial trade deficit in seafood. (6) Increasing the overall effectiveness and