Panel OKs offshore fish farms

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - A federal panel approved the nation’s first offshore fishing farming industry Wednesday and will send the package to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted 11-5. The vote came after a meeting where the council heard from proponents and opponents. Under the plan, fish will be raised in offshore pens far out in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: The Sun Herald, 01/28/09)