Aquaculture within the US

Aquaculture in the United States

Farmed oysters, clams, and mussels account for about two-thirds of total U.S. marine aquaculture production. Pictured above, workers from the Matunuck Oyster Farm in Rhode Island head out to harvest fresh oysters for their customers. [NOAA Aquaculture Program photo]

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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 or coastal habitats such as oyster reefs. 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.
Additional domestic seafood production will reduce the nation’s dependence on imports. Right now, the United States is a major consumer of aquaculture products – we import 84% of our seafood and half of that is from aquaculture – yet we are a minor producer.  U.S. aquaculture (freshwater and marine) supplies about 5% of the U.S. seafood supply and U.S. marine aquaculture less than 1.5%.  Driven by imports, the U.S. seafood trade deficit has grown to over $9 billion annually – the highest it’s ever been.
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.

U.S. Marine Aquaculture

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.

More info can be found on the NOAA website!

-Katie