State law prohibits leasing where oysters grow naturally. But those restrictions are based on century-old surveys, when oysters were much more abundant, so much of the bay is off-limits. Leasing also is completely banned in a handful of counties.

The initiative comes as Maryland, Virginia and the federal government weigh how to go about restoring the bay's disease-depleted oyster stocks as well as

Some aquaculture and aquaponics systems, such as those for salmon, are "open," not contained. They are susceptible to diseases that can be spread, pollution and fish escapes that are not easily controlled or monitored in a standardized way.

There are several troubling aspects in the proposed regulations, chief among them is allowing wild fish meal to be used to feed the penned fish. To maintain