U.S. Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) provides data on aquaculture production, prices, sales, numbers of farms, and estimated inventories.

• 1998 Census of Aquaculture is the first comprehensive census of the U.S. aquaculture industry. Results detail aquaculture production by species, state, and type of production system. The number of farmers is reported per state for the various species groups. Because aquaculture products are sold in a variety of forms, the value of sales (but not the quantity) are reported in this census.

• Catfish Processing (monthly) details the poundage and price of live fish purchases by processors and the quantity and price of products sold by processors. Processors also report inventories.
  
  
• Catfish Production (annual) surveys catfish growers in selected states, concentrating on sales by size class, detailing the quantity in number and weight and the price per pound. It also contains the number of farms and the estimated inventories of live fish held on farms. Starting in 1998, it contains information on trout.

Aquaculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Services for the Aquaculture Industry regulates the import and export of live aquatic products.

Aquaculture Information Center (AIC) is a section of the National Agricultural Library (NAL) devoted to information on aquaculture topics.

Aquaculture Program, Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES) funds a wide array of programs, including the five regional aquaculture research centers, and programs that have developed criteria for teaching aquaculture in high schools.

Other government

United States Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture provides links to various Federal sources of aquaculture information and statistics.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) offers statistics on the annual harvest of wild fisheries and aquaculture worldwide by country and species group.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) provides data on the domestic wild seafood harvest and imports and exports of seafood products.

Universities

Clemson University offers information on the many areas of warmwater aquacultural production, especially for catfish and shrimp.

Mississippi State University presents information on all stages of catfish production and processing, as Mississippi is by far the largest catfish-producing State.

Louisiana State University provides diverse information on the many aquaculture industries in Louisiana, such as crawfish, catfish, alligators, and tilapia.

for more information, contact: David J. Harvey
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: August 11, 2004