Have your say with the EPA - but hurry! Feb. 4 deadline

Citizens at Mote Marine Wave Center for EPA hearing on Kampachi Farms Inc.

Didn't make the EPA hearing on Jan. 28? You still can participate.

Sierra Club and many other environmental groups opposed to Kampachi Farm's proposed operation off the coast of Sarasota County are asking members to email their public comments in opposition to the proposed fish farm to the EPA before FEB 4th   Contact info below!


Comments accepted through: 02/04/2020

You may comment on the proposed action in writing, using Email, FAX or mail.
Submit comments to:
Email: R4NPDES.Kampachi@epa.gov
Fax: 404-562-9772

Mailing address:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 4, Water Division, NPDES Permitting Section, ATTN: Kip Tyler, 61 Forsyth Street S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960

More organizations opposed to this proposal:

Friends of the Earth, 

Center for Food Safety, 

Center for Biological Diversity, 

Citizens for Sarasota County

Food & Water Watch, 

Hands along the Water

Healthy Gulf, 

Institute for Fisheries Resources, 

National Family Farm Coalition, 

Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, 

NY4WHALES, 

Ocean Conservation Research, 

Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, 

Sanctuary Education Advisory Specialists LLC, 

Sierra Club Grassroots Network 

Rally: Oppose the Fish Farm Tuesday at Mote

What: Community demonstration in opposition to Kampachi Fish Farms, LLC’s request to construct a fish farm in the Gulf of Mexico.

When: Tuesday, January. 28, 2020

Community demonstration:  4:30 p.m-5:30 pm.  

Park in Mote lot and walk to corner of Ken Thompson and John Ringling Pkwys or stay along sidewalk between the two.  

We will have signs but you can bring your own. Wear blue if you can.

Public hearing:  5:30-9:30 p.m.

We will have small signs for people to hold up during the hearing (so you don't have to make public comment to be "heard."

Where: Wave Center at Mote Marine Laboratory

 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, Fla. 34236

Demonstration organizers include the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, Healthy Gulf, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Sierra Club, Suncoast Waterkeeper, Hands Along The Water and others.

NPR background piece about Fish Farming in the open ocean

Update: Fish Farming company seeks permit to operate in Gulf off of Sarasota: Public Hearing Jan. 28, 2020

Update: Sign a statement from the Center for Biological Diversity opposing this effort to open our region to commercial fish farming. 

===

A company known as Kampachi Farms LLC is seeking to operate a commercial fish farm in federal waters approximately 40 miles off the coast of Sarasota County. An EPA public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 28, 2020 - details below.

Kampachi Farms Pod on surface

The EPA-Region 4 will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed issuance of an NPDES permit (FL0A00001) for the Kampachi Farms LLC-Velella Epsilon marine aquaculture facility. 

The draft NPDES permit authorizes the discharge of industrial wastewater from a marine net-pen aquaculture facility located in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico at approximately 45 miles southwest of Sarasota, Florida (near 27° 7’ 20.51”N, 83° 12’ 1.37”W).

The facility would include a supporting vessel and a single floating cage in a water depth of 130 feet. The project would begin culturing a single cohort of approximately 20,000 Almaco jack and produce a maximum harvest of 88,000 pounds. A video of Kampachi Farms Velella project can be seen here.

Mote Marine has been identified to be the monitor of the proposed site and will be raising the hatchlings. 

A full account of the public hearing procedure and timing for public comments is here. 

The Sarasota hearing details:

• Date: January 28, 2020
• Time: 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
• Location: Wave Center
• Mote Marine Laboratory
• 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236

All persons interested in the draft NPDES permit are invited to attend the public hearing. If you are interested in attending the hearing, the EPA encourages you to pre-register at least 72 hours in advance. You may also register to speak when you arrive at the hearing.

At one time, fish farming was in operation in state waters off the coast of Washington state, but now has been banned there.

Norway has been besieged by problems threatening its salmon:

Against the Current states: "Fish farming in open net pens is considered the largest man-made threat to wild stocks."

The Independent reported in May, 2019: "Eight million salmon killed in a week by sudden surge of algae in Norway."

Norway has banned new fish farming licenses, but existing fish farms continue to operate there.

A variety of articles reported by US News & World Reports, including one by NPR, describe fish farming. The reported results do not bode well for our Florida coastline, including an increase in nitrogen levels in an area already afflicted with poor wastewater controls and red tide.

A guest column by Florida environmental attorney Marianne Cufone raising concerns about impacts of fish farming on red tide and more was published in the 11.29.19 Herald Tribune: Off Sarasota’s coast, a new industrial threat.

Sierra Club Florida News announcement of the public hearing.

Friends of the Earth has addressed the dangers of fish farming.

The draft NPDES permit, draft Environmental Assessment, and other supporting documents can be found here.

The public comment period will be open through February 4, 2020. Information on how to submit comments can be found at that same website.

Public comment from the Suncoast Waterkeeper to EPA Sept. 29, 2019.

Again, pre-register here.