AQUACULTURE June 2004 Florida Agricultural Statistics Service | 1222 Woodward Street | Orlando, Florida 32803 | 407 / 648-6013 ------------------------------------------------------------- FLORIDA AQUACULTURE SALES TOTAL $95.5 MILLION IN 2003 Florida aquaculture producers reported sales of $95.5 million in 2003 in a survey conducted for the Division of Aquaculture, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This compares to sales of $99.5 million reported for 2001 and is the third highest volume of sales since the survey was begun in 1988. The largest volume of sales of aquaculture products was $102 million in 1997. In 2003, sales increased for Tropical Fish, Tilapia, Catfish, Live Rock, and Other Aquatics. Sales decreased for Aquatic Plants, Clams and Oysters, Alligators, Shrimp, and Other Fish. In 2003, there were 544 operations using 6,450 acres, compared to 7,010 acres used by 684 operations in 2001. The survey also found 80 active operations in 2003 without sales, reflecting either new operations which have not yet sold a product or operations in business but which did not sell any product in 2003. There were 30 operations reporting sales to foreign markets totaling $5.3 million. AQUACULTURE - Florida, 2003 Producers Total With Sales Net Sales % of Total Tropical Fish 151 146 $47,228,600 49.4 Aquatic Plants 37 35 $20,433,100 21.4 Clams & Oysters 244 200 $12,969,900 13.6 Shrimp 10 7 $5,100,800 5.3 Other Fish 26 23 $2,822,300 3.0 Alligators 14 10 $2,452,400 2.6 Tilapia 17 15 $1,493,000 1.6 Catfish 41 34 $1,486,700 1.6 Other Aquatics 14 14 $895,300 0.9 Live Rock 7 6 $660,900 0.7 "Clams" include clam seed "Other Fish" include Hybrid Striped Bass, Koi, Largemouth Bass, Bream, and Carp "Other Aquatics" include Crawfish, Eels, Snails, Turtles, Crabs, and Frogs A large percentage of aquaculture operations in Florida are small. Of the 544 operations in 2003, 43.9 percent were less than 3 acres in size. These represent many of the clam producers, who lease 2 acres of water in the Gulf of Mexico or the Indian River Lagoon, as well as some of the small tropical fish farms. Another 20.6 percent of the operations used between 3 and 6 acres of land and/or water. Only about 3 percent of the operations used 50 acres or more. AQUACULTURE - Size of Operation Florida, 2003 Acres in Operation Number of Operations Percent of Total less than 3 239 43 .9 3 to 5.9 112 20 .6 6 to 19.9 122 22 .4 20 to 49.9 55 10 .1 50 to 99.9 12 2 .2 100 or more 4 0 .7 Total 544 100 .0 Owners and/or operators of Florida's aquaculture operations provide much of the labor required. Operators reported working an average of 32 hours per week on the farms. A total of 485 persons worked without pay on 233 operations. These are typically family members or partners. There were 316 operations with no hired labor; the other 228 farms hired 928 full-time workers and 731 part-time workers. AQUACULTURE - Labor - Florida, 2003 Farms Workers No hired labor 316 -- Unpaid labor 233 485 Paid labor - full time 134 928 Paid labor - part time 152 731 FLORIDA AQUACULTURE - Number of Producers, Area in Production, Sales - 2003 Producers Area in Production With Acres Square Feet Gallons Net Value Total Sales 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 of Sales (000) (000) Tropical Fish 151 146 -- -- 43,922.1 42,625.4 813.5 812.5 $47,228,600 Egg Layers 129 126 -- -- 28,334.9 27,438.5 813.5 812.5 $35,768,400 Live Bearers 73 69 -- -- 15,587.2 15,186.9 -- -- $11,666,200 Marine (included with Egg Layers) Aquatic Plants 37 35 402 407 37 .6 37 .6 -- -- $20,433,100 Water Garden 23 20 310 310 34 .0 34 .0 -- -- * Aquarium 12 12 52 52 3 .6 3 .6 -- -- * Wetlands 13 13 40 45 -- -- -- -- $1,612,900 Mollusks 244 200 930 955 71 .3 67 .5 $12,969,900 Clams 237 192 896 917 17 .9 14 .2 -- -- $12,098,400 Seed Clams 22 15 34 38 53 .4 53 .3 -- -- $871,600 Oysters (included with clams) Shrimp 10 7 105 135 -- -- 217,425 285,366 $5,100,900 Alligators 14 10 51 51 143 .2 143 .2 -- -- $2,452,400 Hides 14 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- $1,640,400 Meat 14 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- $812,000 Other Fish 26 23 238 233 2 .8 2 .8 488 488 $2,822,300 Catfish 41 34 776 702 -- -- -- -- $1,486,700 Food 37 30 707 633 -- -- -- -- $1,295,700 Other 6 5 69 69 -- -- -- -- $191,000 Tilapia 17 15 63 57 -- -- 1,027 1,057 $1,493,300 Live Rock 7 6 18 na -- -- -- -- $660,900 Other Aquatics 14 14 19 na 166 .7 na 409 na $895,000 All Species 544 464 $95,543,400 For 2004, area expected to be used. Other Fish include Hybrid Striped Bass, Koi, Largemouth Bass, Carp, Bream Other Aquatics include Crawfish, Eels, Snails, Turtles, Crabs, Frogs * Data not published to avoid disclosure of individual data. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TROPICAL FISH There were fewer producers of tropical fish in 2003, but net sales increased slightly. Sales reached $47.2 million from 136 producers in 2003, compared to $42.4 million from 160 producers in 2001. Operators reported working an average of 46.1 hours per week. There were 79 farms which hired 209 paid workers. Net sales of egglayers and marine ornamentals amounted to $35.7 million from 126 producers, using 28.3 million square feet of ponds and 813,400 tank gallons. Net sales of livebearers totaled $11.7 million from 69 producers using 15.6 million square feet of ponds. Sales to foreign markets were reported by 15 producers. Tropical fish production in Florida is centered in the West Central counties of Hillsborough and Polk, which have approximately 62 percent of the tropical fish farms in the State. Another 22 percent of the farms are in the East Coast counties of Brevard down to Dade. CLAMS & OYSTERS Sales of clams, clam seed, and oysters decreased to $13 million in 2003, from $18.3 million in 2001. There were 31 fewer producers with sales in 2003 and the average price for clams was lower than it was in 2001. Producers sold 134 million hard clams at an average price of 9 cents, compared to 142 million sold in 2001 at an average price of 11 cents. Sales of hard clams and oysters totaled $12.1 million and sales of clam seed amounted to $871,000. Respondents reported an average survival to harvest of 54 percent. Operators reported working an average of 25.0 hours per week. They hired 178 paid workers on 89 operations. Hard clam producers used 930 acres of water leases and 18,000 square feet of raceways. Clamseed producers used 34 acres and 53,000 square feet. CLAM PLANTINGS 2002-2004 Number of Clams Clams planted in 2002 289,791,000 Clams planted in 2003 350,398,000 Clams to be planted in 2004 392,010,000 Demand for clams has been lower than in previous years, and some producers, especially in the Southwestern part of the State, were hurt by poor weather conditions. There were 20 producers who sold seed clams in 2001 but not in 2003. The difficult economic conditions are reflected in the fact that 35 producers indicated they were undecided about how many clams, if any, to plant in 2004. Clam production is concentrated in the Indian River estuary and the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, in three main areas: the “Big Bend” counties of Dixie, Levy, and Citrus; the Southern West coast counties of Charlotte and Lee; and the Central East coast counties of Volusia, Brevard, and Indian River. AQUATIC PLANTS Sales of aquatic plants in 2003, at $20.4 million, were down very slightly from sales of $21.3 million in 2001. The 37 producers (35 of whom had sales) used 402 water surface acres and 37,600 square feet of vats. Sales to foreign markets were reported by 7 producers. Aquatic plants include plants for water gardens and aquariums and farm-produced plants used in wetlands restoration. Sales also include watercress. Sales do not include plants harvested from the wild or resales of plants purchased from other growers. Operators reported working and average of 30.3 hours per week and hiring 393 paid workers on 22 farms. ALLIGATORS Sales of alligator hides and meat decreased to $2.45 million from $3.25 million in the previous survey. Eight producers sold hides valued at $1.64 million, at an average of $99 per hide. Nine producers sold meat valued at $812 thousand, at an average of $4.11 per pound. Producers used 51 water surface acres and 143,000 square feet of building space. The low demand and sales are partially due to weak economic conditions in Japan and Europe. Operators reported working an average of 31.8 hours per week. There were 28 paid workers on 8 farms. Sales to foreign markets were reported by three operations. ALLIGATOR INVENTORY, By Type - Florida 2/1/02 2/1/04 Number of producers 19 13 Total alligators on hand 87,700 69,000 Brood Stock 5,300 3,800 Hatchlings 26,400 23,700 All other 45,500 41,600 TILAPIA There were fewer producers of tilapia in 2003 than in 2001, but sales increased from $979 thousand to $1.49 million. The 17 producers (15 of whom had sales) used 63 acres of ponds and 1.03 million tank gallons. Operators reported working an average of 33.2 hours per week and hiring 15 paid workers on 7 farms. Sales to foreign markets were reported by two operations. CATFISH In 2003, there were 41 producers of catfish, 34 of whom reported sales. Producers sold $1.49 million worth of foodsize and fingerlings, compared to $1.3 million in 2001, and used 702 water acres. Operators reported working an average of 19.7 hours per week and six operations hired a total of 15 paid workers. OTHER AQUATICS Other aquatics include eels, snails, turtles, frogs, crabs, crawfish, etc. Sales from 14 producers totaled $895,000 in 2003, compared to $417,000 in 2001. Operators worked an average of 45.1 hours per week. SHRIMP In 2003, there were 10 producers of shrimp, 7 of whom reported sales amounting to $5.1 million, compared to $7.4 million in 2001. Producers used 105 water acres and 217 million tank gallons. Operators reported working an average of 45.7 hours per week and six operations hired a total of 488 paid workers. OTHER FISH Sales of other fish (koi, bass, bream, carp, etc.) from 23 producers amounted to $2.82 million in 2003, compared to $3.2 million in 2001. Operators reported working an average of 11.6 hours per week and hiring 46 paid workers on 14 operations. Three operations reported sales to foreign markets. LIVE ROCK Over 200,000 pounds of live rock were sold by six producers, totaling about $660,000 in 2003, up about 14 percent from 2001. One operation reported sales to foreign markets.