Aquaculture Review Council

Review Council Composition

The Aquaculture Review Council (ARC) was created within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services by Florida Statute 597.005 to provide a means of communication between the aquaculture industry and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The council consists of nine members and includes the aquaculture representative on the State Agricultural Advisory Council, the chair of the Aquaculture Interagency Coordinating Council, and seven additional members appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. These seven members represent the industry groups and include an alligator farmer, a food fish farmer, a shellfish farmer, a tropical fish farmer, an aquatic plant farmer, a representative of the commercial fishing industry and a representative of the aquaculture industry at-large.

Responsibilities

The ARC meets at least quarterly with support assistance from the Division of Aquaculture. It is the responsibility of the ARC to recommend rules and policies governing the business of aquaculture to the Commissioner of Agriculture and to annually submit a list of recommendations for short-term research projects designed to solve problems designated in the state aquaculture plan. The ARC reviews and discusses problems that serve as barriers to the growth and development of aquaculture and has been a key in the continued growth of the aquaculture industry in Florida.