Aquaculture

Megan Davis, Ph.D.

FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

GUIRR February 5, 2020

FAU HBOI Aquaculture Development ParkAdvancing Aquaculture for 40+ years

Topics

• What are our choices to feed the future?

• What are the challenges to increasing domestic aquaculture?

• What should we know about consumer behavior and seafood consumption?

“the planet must produce more food in the next four decades than all farmers in history have harvested over the past 8,000 years”

Ernst van den Ende, Wageningen University & Research. A Tiny Country Feeds the World, Agricultural Giant Holland is Changing the Way We Farm. National Geographic Sept. 2017

65%

35%

53%

47%

Aquaculture Production Worldwide 2016 (80M Tons)

Continent % China 62Other Asian Countries 20India 7Americas 4Europe 4Middle East & North Africa 2Sub-Saharan Africa 1Oceania <1

90% of all aquaculture is produced in

Asia

U.S. Aquaculture 2017

• 16th in global aquaculture production

• U.S. Aquaculture $1.5 B

• U.S. Fisheries $5.4 B

• Trade deficit for edible products $15.8 B

Imports: shrimp, salmon, tunaExports: salmon, lobster, caviar, surimi

Sustainable U.S. Fisheries and

Aquaculture• U.S. Fisheries is among the largest and most

sustainable fisheries globally (4.4 M sq. miles of ocean)– NOAA Fisheries, MSA, Councils, industry partners and

others

• Increase in U.S. seafood needs to come from growth of U.S. Aquaculture– NOAA, USDA, industry, partners and others

Non-Fed Species

U.S. Aquaculture/Mariculture

Fed Species

37% marine (oysters, clams, salmon, mussels, shrimp)63% freshwater (catfish, crawfish, trout, tilapia, striped bass)

Ponds, 27%

Flow Through Raceways, 14%

Mollusc Bottom, 12%

Mollusc Off Bottom, 11%

RAS, 8%

Non-RAS, 9%

Crawfish Cropland, 9%

Cages/Pens, 7%

Aquaponics, 2% Other, 1%

US Aquaculture Production Systems 2018

AQUAA ACT

• This bill directs the Department of Commerce to establish an Office of Marine Aquaculture within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to coordinate regulatory, scientific, outreach, and international issues related to aquaculture.

• Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F.(Introduced 2019, 2020)

World per capita consumption per yr = 44 lbs

U.S. per capita consumption per yr = 16 lbs• 76% fresh/frozen• 22% canned• 2% cured

Seafood plays crucial role in nutrition & food security• 17% of animal protein• Vitamins and minerals• Neurodevelopment for unborn and young

children• Prevention of cardiovascular diseases• Mental health

How to increase U.S. seafood consumption in the U.S.

1. Educating the consumer about seafood (= wild fisheries and aquaculture)• Myth busting of misinformation• How to buy and cook seafood

2. Following the food trends• ‘seaganism’ and ‘sustainarianism’

3. A National Seafood Council concept• “check-off program” • MAFAC NOAA Fisheries is exploring this with

the seafood community

Check-off Programs

maintain and expand domestic and foreign

markets for agricultural commodities

Slide courtesy of USDA AMS

Fish & Seafood Promotion Act 1986

How can it be a mechanism to help increase consumer confidence and consumption of US Seafood in the US?

National Seafood Council Evaluation by MAFAC

• Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC), a Federal advisory committee, provides recommendations to Secretary of Commerce and its bureau NOAA Fisheries

• Engaged in a task to evaluate what NOAA Fisheries can do in their federal role to help increase consumer confidence and consumption of U.S. seafood

• Gathering information and advice from U.S. seafood community on the establishment of an industry led and funded National Seafood Council under the Fish and Seafood Promotion Act as a mechanism to increase U.S. seafood consumption.

Government, University and

Industry Partnerships to

Grow Aquaculture

with Innovative Science and Technology

• Production Efficiency

– Hatchery and seedstock

– Demonstration sites

– Genetics – selective breeding, disease resistance

– Health – disease prevention, vaccines, probiotics

– Alternative feeds

– Energy efficient systems, remote sensing, monitoring, AI

– Training the next generation

• Regulatory Streamlining and Marine Spatial Planning

– Land- and ocean-based

– Site selection

– Control of pollution and escapes

• Ecosystem Services and Adaptive Strategies

– Climate change

– Mitigation

– Stock enhancement

• Seafood science

– Safety

– Traceability

– Nutrition

• Economics, Marketing, Extension, Social Science

There is a strong role for government, universities and industry to work together to help meet future food needs through

innovative aquaculture growth in the U.S.

Resources and References

• FAO: The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018

• NOAA NMFS: Fisheries of the United States 2017

• USDA NASS: 2018 Census of Aquaculture

• World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future 2019

• Consortium of Ocean Leadership and Meridian Institute 2018. U.S. Offshore Aquaculture: Will We Fish of Cut Bait?