Holmes Beach, Fla. joins neighbors to oppose industrial ocean fish farming

SARASOTA, Fla. – Three communities along the gulf coast of Florida have moved swiftly to oppose industrial ocean fish farming off the state’s coastline.

Holmes Beach city officials have voiced their opposition to industrial ocean fish farming through a formal resolution, stating “offshore aquaculture will put Florida’s environment, beaches, marine resources and local economies at risk.” Holmes Beach is joined by neighboring Sarasota  and Sanibel City Commissioners’ decisions to each send letters of “strong and formal opposition” to the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to place a floating factory farm approximately 40 miles off the city’s coast.

In response, Hallie Templeton, senior oceans campaigner at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement:

Public opposition to factory farming off Florida’s coasts is building rapidly. The EPA’s plan to rubber stamp an industrial ocean fish farm in the Gulf of Mexico is shortsighted and ignores a long list of environmental consequences. The local governments in Sarasota, Sanibel, and Holmes Beach recognize the disaster this project could cause and are thankfully taking swift action to protect Florida’s coastlines for all.

Expert contact: Hallie Templeton, (434) 326-4647, [email protected]
Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]