Shellfish farming accounts for most of the marine aquaculture production in the United States. Above, a farmer inspects oysters being grown in on-bottom cages in Rhode Island. [NOAA Aquaculture Program photo]
Aquaculture includes the production of hatchery fish and shellfish which are grown to market size in ponds, tanks, cages, or raceways and released into the wild. Aquaculture is used to support commercial and recreational marine fisheries as well as to enhance or rebuild wild stock populations. Aquaculture also includes the production of ornamental fish for the aquarium trade and plant species used in a range of food, pharmaceutical, nutritional, and biotechnology products. There are also related industries such as equipment production, feed, and nutrition companies, and aquaculture consulting service firms that provide support to the global aquaculture industry.
Many other countries are investing more heavily in aquaculture than the United States. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the United States ranked 10th in total aquaculture production in 2004, behind China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, Chile, and Norway. The United States imports significant volumes of marine aquaculture products from these and other countries, resulting in an annual seafood trade deficit of over $9 billion.
The U.S. marine aquaculture industry is relatively small compared with overall U.S. and world aquaculture production. Total U.S. aquaculture production is about $1 billion annually, compared to world aquaculture production of about $70 billion. Only about 20% of U.S. aquaculture production is marine species.
The largest single sector of the U.S. marine aquaculture industry is molluscan shellfish culture (oysters, clams, mussels), which accounts for about two-thirds of total U.S. marine aquaculture production, followed by salmon (about 25 percent) and shrimp (about 10 percent). Current production takes place mainly on land, in ponds, and in coastal waters under state jurisdiction. Recent advances in offshore aquaculture technology have resulted in several commercial finfish and shellfish operations in more exposed, open-ocean locations in state waters in Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Puerto Rico.
There is significant potential to increase commercial aquaculture production in the U.S. using today's technology. Preliminary production estimates by NOAA indicate that domestic aquaculture production of all species could increase from about 0.5 million tons annually to 1.5 million tons per year by 2025. The additional production could include 760,000 tons from finfish aquaculture, 47,000 tons from crustacean production, and 245,000 tons from mollusk production. Of the 760,000 tons of finfish aquaculture, 590,000 tons could come from marine finfish aquaculture.
With respect to marine aquaculture, the major barriers include:
NOAA is working to address technological barriers to marine aquaculture production in a number of ways. Since 1998, NOAA has funded a total of $15 million through the National Marine Aquaculture Initiative (NMAI), a competitive grants program coordinated by the NOAA Aquaculture Program and NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. The NMAI supports research to boost the production of commercially and recreationally valuable marine shellfish and finfish species in the United States. Past projects have responded to key scientific, engineering, environmental, and economic questions for aquaculture. For example, NMAI has funded studies of candidate species, health and nutrition, best management practices, ecosystems monitoring and management, engineered production systems, and legal and operational frameworks.
NOAA is also working to address technological barriers through a planning process with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior to develop a National Aquatic Animal Health Plan. The plan, which will be completed in 2008, will provide protection for the nation's cultured and wild aquatic resources, facilitate safe commerce of live products, and improve the availability of diagnostic laboratories for aquaculture.
NOAA also has marine aquaculture research capabilities at in-house laboratories within the Fisheries Service and the Ocean Service, and research and extension capabilities through state Sea Grant Programs. Congressionally mandated research such as an open ocean aquaculture demonstration project at the University of New Hampshire, and research around the country on oysters, shrimp, crab, and other species has also helped to advance the state of marine aquaculture technology.
Other federal agencies under the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Interior, along with academic and research institutions are also investing in research to address technological challenges. For example, the Advanced Technology Program within the National Institute for Standards and Technology has supported a number of advanced research and technology projects. In addition, aquaculture companies have received support for the development of commercial products and services through the Small Business Innovation Program at NOAA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and, in the past, through the Saltonstall-Kennedy Program.
Business needs regulatory certainty to make sound investment decisions and obtain financing. Currently, there is no way to obtain a permit for aquaculture in federal waters under existing U.S. laws and regulations. To address this regulatory gap, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Commerce transmitted to Congress the National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007. The Act would provide the Secretary of Commerce the necessary authority to establish a regulatory framework for aquaculture in U.S. federal waters and authorize research for all types of marine aquaculture. Establishing a regulatory framework for federal waters was a recommendation by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy in 2004, and a commitment in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan.
