Contact: Krissy Young, (202) 690-8123
Deborah Norton, (202) 690-8124
U.S. Aquaculture a Billion Dollar Industry, USDA Reports: 2005 Aquaculture Census Shows Significant Growth
WASHINGTON,
Oct. 02, 2006 - Aquaculture production is a billion-dollar
industry, with sales of fish, shellfish and related products
growing by 11.7 percent over the past seven years, according
to results of the 2005 Census of Aquaculture.
The 2005 count was the second nationwide aquaculture census
conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The first took place
in 1998. Results show that between 1998 and 2005, U.S. sales
of aquaculture products grew from $978 million to nearly $1.1
billion.
Census results show that food fish – including catfish,
perch, salmon, hybrid striped bass, tilapia and trout –
accounted for 62 percent of all aquaculture sales in 2005.
Mollusks – including abalone, clams, mussels and oysters
– comprised 19 percent of 2005 sales. Crustaceans, such
as lobsters and shrimp, and ornamental fish, such as koi and
tropical fish, each accounted for approximately 5 percent
of sales. They were followed by baitfish at 4 percent and
sport fish at 2 percent.
Mississippi led the nation in sales of aquaculture products,
with nearly $250 million dollars in 2005. Arkansas, Alabama
and Louisiana were the other states with sales topping $100
million. Louisiana had the largest number of aquaculture farms.
The state’s 873 farms were more than double the number
in any other state.
The 2005 Census of Aquaculture collected detailed information
on issues including production methods, water sources, sales,
distribution and farm labor. For the purpose of the census,
an aquaculture farm was any commercial or non-commercial place
from which $1,000 or more of aquaculture products were raised
and sold, or distributed for restoration, conservation or
recreational purposes during the census year.
Complete results of the 2005 Census of Aquaculture are available
online at: www.nass.usda.gov/aquaculture/
