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House committee backs bill to classify aquaculture as agricultural product, adds amendment excluding ocean‑raised stock
Summary
The House Agriculture Committee concurred in Senate Bill 161, which would add aquaculture products to the definition of raw agricultural products and give rulemaking authority; the committee also passed an amendment excluding ocean‑raised stock and sent the bill to the House floor 17‑0.
Sen. Greg Hertz, who represents Senate District 7, introduced Senate Bill 161 to recognize aquaculture products — including farm‑raised shrimp produced in controlled conditions — as raw agricultural products in state code.
"The FDA has recognized aquaculture as agriculture," Hertz told the House Agriculture Committee, saying the bill would add aquaculture to the statutory definition of raw agricultural product and enable producers to sell directly to restaurants and at farmers' markets. He described a constituent who raises saltwater shrimp indoors in above‑ground tanks and said classifying aquaculture would allow year‑round production and broader marketing opportunities.
Proponents told the committee the bill is intended to be narrowly tailored. Clayton Elliott of Montana Trout Unlimited said he initially opposed earlier versions but supported Senate amendments that define "aquaculture" and "controlled conditions" narrowly to avoid creating a loophole for private ponds. "Very comfortable with the amendments that were put on," Elliott said.
Jim Vaughan, owner of Mission Valley Shrimp, described his production system and its environmental controls: "I produce, I discharge 0 water," Vaughan said, explaining he uses a biofloc system in indoor tanks and runs four‑ to five‑month production cycles. He brought live samples for committee members to view.
Mercedes Overlie, lead sanitarian for the Department of Public Health and Human Services, provided informational testimony about licensing and food safety inspections for commercial food operations; Anna Kecskes, legal counsel for the Department of Agriculture, answered legal and rulemaking questions.
During executive action the committee adopted an amendment that adds "ocean" to the list of bodies of water excluded from the bill's definition of "controlled conditions," a change proponents said would prevent ocean‑farmed seafood from qualifying as in‑state aquaculture under the measure. The amendment passed by voice vote with proxies recorded and a clerk tally of 17 in favor, 0 opposed.
The committee then concurred in SB161 as amended and sent it to the House floor with the same recorded tally (17‑0). The bill, as amended, would place aquaculture within the state's raw agricultural products definitions, grant rulemaking authority, and include exemptions and definitions to clarify the scope of covered production.
The next procedural step is for a House member to carry the bill to the House floor; Representative Wirth volunteered to carry the measure. The committee recorded no formal opposition during the hearing.
