What is aquaculture? Topic# 3071 By Rick Sokol

Aquaculture The controlled cultivation of aquatic plants and animals produced for several purposes. Food Stocking Bait Ornamental Industrial

Fish Farming one facet of aquaculture Practiced for many centuries by: Chinese Egyptians Romans In this century, aquaculture has become an important supplier of fish and other products.

Asia most significant region in world for aquaculture Over 80% of total world production. Leading Producers China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and the Philippines (carp & seaweed dominating production) Use mixture of low and high levels of technology along with traditional techniques.

U.S. Aquaculture very small segment of total agricultural production Relatively young and growing rapidly. Although increasing in popularity, majority of fish eaten in U.S. are imported or are harvested by commercial fishermen from rivers, lakes and oceans.

Species farmed in the U.S. Channel catfish Salmon Trout Bait Ornamental fish Crawfish Shrimp Oysters Clams Other species such as tilapia, hybrid striped bass, red drum, alligators, white sturgeon and aquatic plants are also produced, but on a smaller scale.

Major Force pushing growth of U.S. aquaculture Declining population of seafood species in the wild - USDA's 1994 Aquaculture Situation & Outlook Report Other factors include: Desire for year-round supplies Specific quality Specific appearance These helped in the development of the domestic trout and catfish industries. Wild harvest can’t supply enough fish for demand.

Present Day Aquaculture Competitive to the wild harvest of seafood. In the future, to become an integral part of the wild harvest fishing industry. Allows management of wild resources to maintain long-term sustained harvests. Management plans for controlled harvesting are being developed as species depletion grows. Hatchery-raised fish will be important part of management.

Changing Lifestyles of Consumer Increasing consumption of fish products will contribute to aquaculture's future growth. If consumers view seafood as protein, then, in the U.S. seafood consumption could increase, currently it is small portion of overall meat consumption.

Increase Production Efficiency increases sales Reduce product prices Relative costs of products drive gains and losses in consumption of meat products like beef, pork and poultry. Major reason for rise in poultry consumption.

Feed Conversion Fish convert feed into flesh about 2x more efficiently than chickens and 5-10x more than beef. Feed conversion rates of fish are higher than other livestock: fish use foods that are less usable by land animals require less energy from their foods fish use entire pond, while land animals are confined to the ground

Annual Yields The proper combination of species, control of the environment and careful feeding results in yields of 6,250 lbs/acre. Compared to 1,000 lbs/acre yield from beef. The lure of increased production and high profits have accelerated the interest in aquaculture.

New Advances in Bioengineering Aquaculture producers have methods that could radically change production processes. Use of gene transfer from one species to another creating transgenic fish that are genetically distinct.

Transgenic Research Enhance growth rate Increase tolerance to different water temperatures Improve disease resistance Long-term impact on the ecosystem is unknown. Scientists urge caution to prevent accidental release until more is known.

Outlook for Future Fastest growing in U.S. agriculture, increasing over 20% annually in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Recent statistics from 1980-1990, the average annual growth/year of aquaculture worldwide was 9.6%, outdistancing poultry meat, which grew at 4.2% per year.

Consumer Awareness Nutritional value of fish products Greater acceptance in expanded markets Increased availability at competitive prices Expected to increase per capita consumption dramatically in the next 10 to 20 years