Aquaculture is Agriculture!

Aquaculture can be defined as the farming of aquatic organisms (e.g., fish, shellfish, crustacea, aquatic plants, etc.) in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments.  While fish farming was practiced in China as long ago as 2000 B.C., aquaculture has only recently developed into the fastest growing segment of agriculture in the United States.  Over 100 different aquatic species are grown in the United States and there is a growing demand for domestically produced aquaculture products.  Catfish production is by far the most important sector of U.S. aquaculture, valued at around $417 million in 1996.  Other important aquaculture species grown for food in the United States are Salmon, trout, tilapia, shrimp, oysters, and crawfish.

The aquaculture industry in the United States increased 4 fold during the 1980's to a farm value of $762 million in 1990 and was valued at over $1 billion by 1995.  U.S. aquaculture production should continue it's rapid growth into the 21st century.  Per capita consumption of seafood in the United States is estimated to be around 15 lbs. per person and is expected to increase as farm raised products become cheaper to grow.  Presently, U.S. aquaculture accounts for only about 10% of seafood that Americans consume, with 60% coming from imports and 30% coming from wild catch.  A decline in wild catch (global marine catches fell 5% from 1989-1992) and pressure to reduce seafood imports are helping to stimulate growth in U.S. aquaculture production. 

Currently, seafood imports are the largest contributor to the U.S. trade deficit among agricultural products and second largest, after petroleum, among all imported natural resources.  In 1995, about $6.7 billion worth of seafood was imported into the U.S., of which $2.7 billion can be attributed to the importation of shrimp, alone.  During this same time, the U.S. exported $3.1 billion worth of seafood, with finfish, mainly Salmon, making up 65% of exports.