Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) has introduced a bill that would support research on ocean acidification, aiming to try and stave off a looming disaster in the shellfish fisheries and aquaculture operations.
The Ocean Acidification Research Partnership Act, would establish partnerships between the seafood industry and the academic community. Capps’ bill “seeks to address the need for a greater understanding of the economic, social, and ecological impacts of ocean acidification, which puts our seafood industry and the communities that depend on it at risk,” reads a press release from Capps.
Scientists say that ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide in the air dissolves in seawater, leading to the water becoming more acidic, Capps said.
According to a report published last week in the journal, “Nature Climate Change,” oyster, scallop, and clam industries in 15 states including California valued at about $1 billion are at risk due to ocean acidification related to climate change, Capps said.
“Ocean acidification not only threatens our oceans, but the industries and economies that rely on the ocean for their livelihood,” Capps said. “This bill would support research and partnerships between the seafood industry and the academic community that will lead to a greater understanding of ocean acidification and its impact.”
The bill would amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 and specifically provide money for grants to foster collaboration between the seafood industry and the academic community.
The legislation would provide resources to assist seafood growers, harvesters, fishermen, and industries within the seafood supply chain to assess the risks of ocean acidification on the seafood industry and help academia better understand ocean acidification more broadly and how to can prepare for its impacts.
Capps said the research partnerships would strengthen communities “by increasing collaboration between the seafood industry and the academic community and deliver research, monitoring, or adaptation results which will benefit both partners.”
The bill must still pass the House and be approved by the Senate before going to the President for his signature.