PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jun 22, 2023
Sustaining Healthy Ecosystems, Livelihoods, and Local Seafood Act or the SHELLS Act
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an Office of Aquaculture and an Aquaculture Advisory Committee. The term aquaculture means the propagation and rearing of aquatic species in controlled or selected environments, including ocean ranching (with exclusions).
Specifically, the Office of Aquaculture must encourage and promote aquaculture operations that promote U.S. food security and limit adverse environmental effects.
USDA must also establish a 14-member Aquaculture Advisory Committee to advise USDA on (1) developing policies and outreach relating to sustainable aquaculture practices; and (2) the history, use, and preservation of indigenous and traditional aquaculture practices and ecological knowledge.
People & committees
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] · D–RI
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Dec 6, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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