America's first census of aquaculture revealed interesting facts -- and confirmed some expectations
-- about one of agriculture's fastest growing sectors. Results of the 1998 Census of Aquaculture,
conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National
Agricultural Statistics Service, revealed that Mississippi captured nearly 30 percent of the
$978 million dollars of domestic aquaculture produced in 1998.
Where did your state rank? Here are the top 10 aquaculture-producing states, by value of products sold.
| State | Sales ($1,000) |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | $290,382 |
| Arkansas | 84,120 |
| Florida | 76,696 |
| Maine | 66,610 |
| Alabama | 59,694 |
| Washington | 56,646 |
| Louisiana | 53,220 |
| California | 43,509 |
| Idaho | 35,919 |
| Virginia | 24,629 |
Source: 1998 Census of Aquaculture, USDA-NASS
The census of aquaculture collected information about food fish, bait fish, mollusks, crustaceans, ornamental fish, sport/game fish, algae and sea vegetables, and other fish and aquacultural products. Food fish (e.g., catfish, trout, salmon, etc.) accounted for about two-thirds of the aquaculture sales.
| Type | Sales ($1,000) |
|---|---|
| Food fish | $691,714 |
| Mollusks | 89,128 |
| Ornamental fish | 68,981 |
| Bait fish | 37,481 |
| Crustaceans | 36,317 |
| Sport/game fish | 7,390 |
| Other fish | 267 |
| Other animal aquaculture, algae, and sea vegetables |
46,734 |
| Total | $978,012 |
This first-ever census also revealed that the value of aquacultural products sold continues to grow, jumping over twenty percent during the census period: sales totaled $807 million in 1997, then rose to $978 million in 1998.
Related Links
- 1998 Aquaculture
Census - An explanation of the census and complete set of data tables.
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