Massachusetts Aquaculture White Paper - Introduction to Inland Aquaculture

Commercial aquaculture (or fish farming) is a valuable and growing industry in the U.S. and around the world. Two major factors driving the industry's expansion are increased public demand for high quality fishery products and reduced yields from harvest of wild stocks. Many commercially important wild fish stocks are declining as a result of overfishing, environmental degradation and habitat loss. In addition, the possibility of contaminants in wild fish may also limit the available supply of fresh fish to the public. At the same time, America is becoming more health conscious and consuming more fish because of its nutritional value and low fat content. Per capita consumption of edible fishery products in the United states reached an all-time high of 15.4 lbs. in 1987 (Robinette et al. 1991). The Department of Commerce has projected that total fish and shellfish consumption could increase by 30 percent between 1990 and 2000. To satisfy U.S. demand, this would require an additional 1 billion pounds of fishery products annually. Longer term projections are even more dramatic. World seafood demand is projected to increase nearly 70 percent by 2025 which would require a seven-fold increase over current aquaculture production levels (Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture 1993).

The United States is the world's largest exporter of seafood products ($2.8 billion in 1990). At $9 billion a year, the U.S. is also the second largest importer of seafood in the world. In terms of the U.S. trade deficit, fisheries products are the largest contributor among agricultural products, and second largest, after petroleum, among all natural resource products (Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture 1993).

U.S. aquaculture has been growing rapidly, with production and revenues increasing nearly 400 percent in the 1980's. Aquaculture and its support industries such as feed mills, processing plants, and equipment dealers, create jobs in rural communities. According to the National Fisheries Institute, the total economic impact of U.S. Aquaculture is $8 billion and the industry generates for approximately 300,000 jobs (Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture 1993).

Despite these impressive figures, aquaculture still accounts for only 10-15 percent of the U.S. seafood demand (Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture 1993). This "shortfall", however, means opportunity. Aquaculture can provide farmers with an additional or alternative source for generating income and opportunities for capital investment by others. Much of the recent expansion of aquaculture has been in the southeast U.S. with the catfish and crayfish industries. Annual production of farm-raised catfish is estimated at over 350 million pounds and represents more than a 400 percent increase in the industry since 1980. Crayfish culture has also increased significantly since the early 1980's with more than 150,000 acres now in production in an industry valued at over $90 million. Trout production, now at over 55 million pounds, has potential for expansion as do numerous other fish species including Atlantic salmon, hybrid striped bass, catfish, and tilapia (Robinette et al. 1991).

Cultured fish also play a major role in providing and enhancing recreational fishing opportunities, augmenting existing fish stocks, and restoring fisheries resources. Hatcheries are an important management tool used by state and federal fish and wildlife agencies to enhance and restore freshwater fisheries for public benefit. In Massachusetts, there are five hatcheries operated by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife which culture fish for purposes of put-and-take fishing, restoration and enhancement of native fish species, and augmenting existing fish populations to diversify fishing opportunities.

Expansion of aquaculture will most likely be limited more by availability of suitable sites than by saturation of the market. Good quality water is the primary limiting factor. Idaho is the largest producer of trout in the U.S. because they have a tremendous supply of high quality, free-flowing cold ground water. In the Mississippi Delta catfish farming region, the abundant supply of good quality ground water is now beginning to show signs of drawdown and expansion of the industry may be hampered as a result. If good quality water in sufficient volume can be found, land cost can become the second most limiting factor. Private aquaculture generally cannot compete for land that can be utilized for condominiums, resorts, planned private communities, or even industrial developments.

Currently, most states with emerging aquaculture interests are developing regulations to protect their existing aquatic resources. Because of aquaculture's rapid expansion and the uncertainty of the risks (e.g. disease problems, genetic contamination, escape of exotics, eutrophication, etc.), most state resource agencies are taking a conservative approach to regulating the industry (e.g. the species allowed to be cultured, facility design requirements to prevent fish escapement into the wild, fish health inspections, etc.). This "conservative approach" is often viewed by aquaculturists as the primary stumbling block to the full development of the aquaculture industry. It should not be surprising, however, that agencies charged with the responsibility of natural resource stewardship owe their primary allegiance to the protection of those natural resources.

User conflicts in both inland and coastal waters can be expected to intensify as aquaculturists, recreationalists of all types, developers, environmentalists and commercial fishermen compete for use of the same bodies of surface and ground water. The challenge to local, state, and federal governments will be to accommodate all interest groups in a fair and equitable manner.

In Massachusetts, there are approximately 50 inland aquaculture operations licensed by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The intent of this White Paper is not to be a step by step guide to starting up an aquaculture operation, but is to provide a general overview on inland aquaculture in Massachusetts and includes the following information: aquaculture systems and technologies; life history and biological requirements on some of the commercially important fish species in inland aquaculture; fish health; drugs and chemicals in aquaculture; genetics and exotics; legal and regulatory issues; economics; public health and safety; and recommendations.

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Published: September 1995