Aquaculture: A Diverse Industry Poised For Growth

Aquaculture has become a prominent industry, enompassing such products as mussels, abalone, catfish, sturgeon, alligators, ornamental fish, and aquatic plants. Domestic producers raised over 800 million pounds of aquacultural products in 1990, four times over that produced in 1980. With many fish and shellfish species being caught in the wild at close to maximum rates and with better aquacultural production methods, further increases look promising. But a variety of resource constraints, environmental issues, and food safety concerns will make continued expansion more of a challenge. In addition, per capita consumption has not grown in the United States over the past few years—despite all the publicity recommending fish for better health and diets. Technological advances in hatchery operations and improved feeds have made production of the two most valuable seafood species in the international market—shrimp and salmon—economically possible. Most aquacultural production is targeted at high-income consumers in the United States, Japan, and the European Community (EC). Aquaculture has benefited from both U.S. and foreign governments' eagerness to develop the industry to boost export earnings and to improve local rural economies.