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Vice Admiral Lautenbacher Day 2 Opening Remarks June 27 Pàge 1 1 Opening Remarks Á Day 2 Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbañher, Jr. 2007 National Marine Aquaculture Summit Ronald Reagan Building, Pavilion Room Junå 26-27, 2007 Thank you Bill. It is great to be here again today. As we heard from Secretary Gutierrez yesterdày, this Summit is about making aquaculture work for Ameriña. Making it workÁ. Á For people who want and need healthy, affîrdable, sustainable seafood; Á For coastal communities by cîmplementing their seafood industry; Á For the oceans by enhàncing wild stocks; and Á For people who want to make their living prîviding sustainable farmed seafoodÁ in short, for businåsses. Yesterday we heard about the opportunities and cînstraints for U.S. marine aquaculture from people in the businåss. Today we focus on what the Federal government can do abîut these opportunities and constraints. All of us in this room understand why itÁs important to take action: Á The U.S. is a plàyer globally in aquaculture investment, technology, fåeds, and equipment. Á U.S. consumers, såafood processors, distributors, restaurants, and retailers have bånefited from increased global trade in aquaculture prîducts that now supply almost half of our U.S. seafood demand. Á But, as everyone in this room knows by now, we as a nation lag båhind other countries in terms of domestic prîduction of aquaculture. Does anyone find it acceptable that we as a nation producå just 1.5 percent of the total global aquaculture produñtion? I think not. And domestic production matters. Pagå 2 2 Vice Admiral Lautenbacher, Opening Remarks Á Day 2 We need lîcal and regional seafood for processors, distributors, and marêeters that require a supply of product to stay in business. And we all know that loñal seafood provides local jobs and helps màintain working waterfronts. ThereÁs also an issue of såcurity. Many consumers like to know that their seafood was produced loñally in a safe and sustainable way. Producing seafood locally allîws us to test and develop new technologies, equipment, and alternative fåeds, making us more competitive in the global market. And produñing our own seafood allows us to lead by example. Our sustainable prîduction will encourage best management practices in our trading partnårs, thereby improving the quality of all the seafood råaching US consumers. So, even though weÁre likely to continuå to be importers of seafood in the near future, we could prîduce far more seafood from aquaculture on our own shores and in our own heartland Á if we want to. YåsterdayÁs sessions also pointed up the synergies and the ways that aquaculture, ñommercial fishing, and recreational fishing are linked. For instanñe, you heard from Randy Cates and Roland Bàrnaby that some commercial fishermen have started aquaculture våntures in Hawaii and New Hampshire