Aquaculture is a relatively new concept to some, but is quickly becoming a way of life for others on the Middle Peninsula and beyond.

Gloucester County is accommodating this growing industry by modifying various ordinances and practices to make working waterfronts accessible and viable to all, including those with an interest in the aquaculture industry.

According to Gloucester’s planning and zoning director Anne Ducey-Ortiz, county staff is proposing to develop a Working Waterfront zoning district, so that working waterfronts would be allowed by-right, eliminating their current non-conforming status. “The board has been very supportive of working waterfronts and allowing them to maintain, so that’s been a focus of our planning efforts,” Ducey-Ortiz said.

She said the county’s zoning ordinances also encourage low-density residential development in most low-lying waterfront areas of the county, limiting runoff and septic system contamination. This goes a...