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Introduction
Aquaculture facilities that grow aquatic animal and plant species in controlled or selected environments (as defined as 7 U.S.C. §3103) are generally eligible for support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) available to all U.S. farmers and ranchers and producers. In addition, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the farm bill; P.L. 115-334) reauthorized and expanded provisions specifically related to USDA’s aquaculture research and assistance programs. Congress may consider these and other related provisions as it continues to debate the next farm bill.
Overview of U.S. Aquaculture
Aquaculture is defined in statute as “the propagation and rearing of aquacultural species, including, but not limited to, any species of finfish, mollusk, or crustacean (or other aquatic invertebrate), amphibian, reptile, ornamental fish, or aquatic plant, in controlled or selected environments” (7 U.S.C. §3103). In practice, aquaculture systems refer to the propagation, breeding, rearing, and harvesting of animal and plant species using interventions such as seeding, stocking, feeding, and protection from predators.
Aquaculture systems may be either land-based (e.g., aboveground tanks, enclosed structures, or artificial ponds) or water-based (e.g., open sea cages, pens, or nets) in freshwater or saltwater (marine) environments. Marine aquaculture systems may take place in enclosures in the ocean or other waterways or on land in tanks or ponds. Aquaculture systems also include aquaponics that combine growing fish and plant species without soil or external fertilizer, using fish waste as a substitute for plant nutrient supplementation while continually recirculating water between the animal and plant growing systems. USDA reports that, based on acreage in 2018, U.S. aquaculture facilities are roughly split between freshwater (both surface and groundwater) and saltwater (ocean or estuary) systems.
USDA reports there were 2,932 aquaculture facilities located in the United States with total farm-level sales of $1.5 billion in 2018. Leading U.S. states with aquaculture facilities, based on sales in 2018, were Mississippi ($216 million in sales), Washington ($208 million), Louisiana ($136 million), Virginia ($113 million), California ($106 million), Alabama ($95 million), and Hawaii ($78 million) (Figure 1). According to USDA, aquaculture product types include food fish (such as catfish and trout), mollusks (oysters, clams, mussels), crustaceans (crawfish for food and saltwater scrimp), ornamental fish (such as koi), sport fish (bass and salmon), baitfish (such as fathead minnows), and other miscellaneous species (including algae, alligators, caviar, eels, frogs, snails, tadpoles, and turtles) (Figure 2).
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