Open ocean aquaculture in U.S. waters has been hindered due to regulatory uncertainty and has faced persistent opposition from public interest groups. An industry coalition engaged Story Partners to shift the narrative and educate policymakers on the benefits of expanding sustainable aquaculture in federal waters.

Elevating Aquaculture’s Importance

Story Partners launched a comprehensive public affairs campaign to reframe open ocean aquaculture as a solution for food security, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. Our multi-pronged strategy included:

• Building a pro-aquaculture ally network to amplify third-party voices
• Launching an earned media and social media campaign to educate and drive awareness and engagement
• Creating multimedia content, including videos, infographics, and a monthly newsletter distributed to media, industry stakeholders, and policymakers
• Developing thought leadership pieces and securing media interviews for experts
• Supporting Capitol Hill engagement, including educational materials for meetings and events

Results: Making Waves Inside the Beltway and Beyond

Story Partners has generated widespread media coverage in major outlets, such as The Hill, Roll Call, Fortune, Forbes, Politico, and Yahoo! News, as well as top-read state publications, including The Baltimore Sun, Boston Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Wichita Eagle, Cleveland.com, The Oregonian, Orlando Sentinel, and The Arizona Daily Star, resulting in more than 1 billion media impressions.

On social media, our client gained over 1,290 X followers, including policymakers, media, and industry leaders, while its monthly newsletter consistently achieves open rates that exceed industry benchmarks. Story Partners has supported the client on the introductions of bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate over several Congresses, and two Presidential Executive Orders in both 2020 and 2025 in support of aquaculture development.