FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2009

CONTACT:
Dave Bard, 202.486.4426

Statement from Andrea Kavanagh, manager of the Pew Environment Group's Salmon Aquaculture Reform Campaign

on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Voting to Allow Fish Farms in Federal Waters

Washington, D.C. — Andrea Kavanagh, manager of the Salmon Aquaculture Reform Campaign at the Pew Environment Group, today issued the following statement in response to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's vote on open ocean aquaculture.

"Rushing to allow open ocean aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico is an accident waiting to happen. If the council is going to create a series of fish farms in federal waters, a national system with uniform guidelines should first be in place.

"Environmental concerns must play a critical role if and when we create national standards for offshore fish farming. For too long, untreated waste, escapes and disease have plagued the aquaculture industry. We cannot ignore their impacts on our fragile ocean ecosystems."

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