THE INDUSTRY - 2012 Part 1 (243 pages) Compiled By Granvil D. Treece Texas A&M University Grant College Program

The historical average for Texas aquaculture production is: Estimated Totals from approximately 180 operations on TDA aquaculture licenses list / Approx. 8,000 ac./Approx. 30,000,000 pounds,/ Approx. US $60,000,000 Total Value. Estimated $360 million/yr total economic impact on state’s economy when jobs, feed, and other economical benefits are included.

Channel has remained the largest aquaculture crop in Texas since 2008. In 2008, there was an estimated production of 28 million pounds produced on 3,500 surface acres of water, and about the same in 2009 with 45 producers and 3 processors in 2009, which dropped to 2 in 2010. Catfish is also the largest value aquaculture crop in the state. According to Peter Woods, Specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension, “ Most of the catfish production area in 2009, about 3,000 acres, was in the Coastal Bend, and the remainder (500 acres) is in upper East Texas. The value of the fish remained relatively constant at $0.80/lb live weight for a total value of approximately $22.4 million. Entry and exit of the industry balanced out with little-or-no change in total acreage under water from 2007 levels to 2008.” A few farms did exit the industry in 2009 and even more in 2010. There was a more dramatic change in the industry in 2010, according to Peter Woods. The number of producers dropped from 45 to about 40. The number of acres dropped from 3,500 to about 3,000, and the production dropped from 28 million pounds to about 20 million pounds, or from about 8,000 lbs per acre to about 6,666 lbs per acre. Some producers could not afford to feed the fish, but still had fish in ponds in 2010. The farm gate price stayed about the same at $0.80/lb, giving an estimated total value of $16 million of catfish for the state in 2010. In 2011 most of the farms that were sold because of producers going out of business were purchased by other producers, so there was not a large drop in production acres. The overall number was about 30 producers on 2,160 acres and they produced 14.4 million pounds in 2011. The average price for the year was $1/lb so the crop price was $14.4 million. Those catfish farmers that survived the high feed costs and low prices are doing much better now. In the latter part of 2011 and 2012 the feed cost have stabilized and the catfish farm gate price is up around $1.25/lb. Catfish is still the highest production species in the state and has the highest value for an aquatic crop in the state.

5 main aquaculture crops in Texas in 2011

Catfish /30 producers /2,160 ac. / 14.4 million lbs./ $14.4 million (Estimate from Peter Woods, TAE, 1/18/12)

Red Drum / 5 farms / 710 total ac. (600ac. grow out) / 3,250,000 lbs. / $9,000,000 (Est. J. Ekstrom

2012)

Hybrid Striped Bass / 4 farms / 1,800 ac. / 3,500,000 lbs / $9,400,000 (Est. from J. Ekstrom, 2012)

Water Gardens / Operators ? / Production ?/ retail sales $7,000,000+

Marine / 5 farms / 629 ac. / 2,179,508 lbs. / $5,230,819 (from Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan, TPWD, Jan.

2012)

Some species production goes up and some goes down. For example, from 2004 to 2007, marine shrimp production in Texas declined, but went up in 2008 and back down in 2009 and down even more in 2010. Catfish, hybrid striped bass and red drum production all increased in 2007, but slowed down in 2008 and 2009, and catfish dropped in 2010. Texas now has the largest hybrid striped bass farm in the USA, with about 1,000 acres at one operation (at several farm sites). The hybrid striped bass farm increased in size from 500 acres to 850 acres and then when Kent Sea Tech Farms in California switched from hybrid striped bass to for biofuels, that left Silver Streak Bass Company near El Campo, Texas the largest farm in the US with around 1,000 acres. Some small catfish producers and hybrid striped bass producers dropped out in 2010 or lost their farms to the bank, according to Peter Woods. The cost of catfish feed stayed over $400 per ton, which contributed to some the problems. However, things improved in 2011 and producers are making money again.

The overall aquaculture production (all species) for the state showed a decrease in 2010 over 2009. Fewer shrimp ponds were stocked the last few years and shrimp production dropped from 5 million pounds in 2006 to 3.4 million pounds in 2007, and went back up slightly to 3.7 million pounds in 2008, down to 3.2 million lbs in 2009 and dropped to 2.5 million pounds in 2010 and again in 2011 the total production reported to TPWD was 2,179,508 pounds, worth about $5,230,819. The catfish sector was growing rapidly in Jackson, Matagorda and Wharton counties and other Texas coastal counties until 2007, when a downward turn in the economy in 2008, with high fuel and feed costs, slowed the growth. Feed cost jumped some 25% in 2008, which slowed growth and narrowed profit margins for all aquaculture producers.

Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) culture in Texas peaked in 2003 when it set a state production record at 4,081 metric tons (9 million pounds worth $18 million farm-gate). The industry began declining and produced 3,600 metric tons in 2004 worth $15.88 million; 3,098 metric tons or 6.8 million pounds, worth US$14.5 million in 2005; 2,273 metric tons or about 5 million pounds, worth $10.5 million, in 2006; 1,542 metric tons or 3.4 million pounds worth $6.8 million in 2007; in 2008 the industry had an increase to 1,690 metric tons or 3.73 million pounds worth $7.45 million, in 2009 produced 3.2 million lbs worth $6,902,333, and in 2010 only six farms remaining produced 2,526,648 pounds worth an average price of $2.40/lb, or $6,039,955, and in 2011 five producers on 629 acres produced 2.179 million pounds worth an estimated $5.23 million, according to Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan of Texas Parks and Wildlife, Brownsville, Texas. Over the last 19 years, the Texas marine shrimp aquaculture industry has produced

89,017,404 lbs of shrimp with a farm-gate value of approximately $230,432,288, contributing an estimated 6 fold amount or $1,382,593,728 to the state’s economy. However, the shrimp farm gate price has been low since 2004, recovered somewhat in 2007 and 2008, but farm-gate prices are still limiting interest in with low profit margins being experienced. The average farm gate price dropped below $2/lb, but has increased to $2.40/lb (all sizes and prices were averaged).

The Texas Aquaculture Industry also has a large aquatic plant or water garden industry, with very large ornamental fish sales. It was last estimated that retail water gardens generate 7 million dollars in sales annually in Texas, but this industry has probably grown some since that estimate several years ago. Bait fish, as well as stocker fish for recreational ponds are also big business in Texas.

Several farms in the state have historically produced about 500,000 pounds of fish annually. But the largest tilapia farm in the state, Simaron, was for sale in 2011-2012 and only produced about 100,000 lbs. The total tilapia production for the state from 2 producers was 150,000 lbs in 2011, worth $277,500, according to Dr. Ya Sheng Juan and Rob Schmid of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

There is a great potential for in the Gulf of . According to NOAA – NMFS Statistics No. 2003, the total fish and shellfish production for the Gulf of Mexico averages about 194 million pounds annually, excluding and shrimp. According to a spokesperson at Sea Fish in Houston, 457 cages (32 meter diameter) carrying 20 kg/cubic meter of fish could produce the entire annual commercial finfish catch of the Gulf, requiring a sea bottom area of only 800 or about 2,000 acres. Of course you would not want to put the fish in a concentrated area, but would spread them out over the Gulf. There was one permitted offshore aquaculture project in Texas, but after years of fighting with the State (General Land Office), which would not renew its lease on a platform off Port O’Conner, the company abandoned the project. The regulatory framework is still a major source of uncertainty for potential offshore producers. The Texas Parks and Wildlife has established its rules for offshore aquaculture in state waters and has published them in the State Register and on their web site and the Gulf of Mexico Council has approved an offshore aquaculture amendment to allow commercial offshore aquaculture in Gulf of Mexico Federal waters (EEZ, from state boundary out to 200 miles). The process of establishing the regulations is very slow, and has met with opposition from environmental groups. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation And Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, the “Gulf Council” has only been able to allow research projects to conduct offshore aquaculture under an exemption to the Act. Legally, at this point, no commercial operation can be allowed in the Gulf under this Act, without

an amendment passed to the Act allowing it. This process was finalized by the Gulf Council and the full fisheries amendment adopted as a stand-alone fisheries management plan, including aquaculture. The Gulf Council approved the offshore aquaculture fisheries management plan and amendment in Jan. 2009 and passed the recommendation to implement the fisheries management plan to the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA/NMFS. The potential for offshore aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico offers the US a way to help offset part of its huge trade deficit, and produce more of its own fish. No organization or Government group expects offshore aquaculture in the Gulf to supply all the US seafood demand, but if allowed, commercial offshore aquaculture in the Gulf could supply some of that demand and help keep US money at home, while safeguards are in place to see that it is done on a sustainable basis, without damage to the environment. It would also provide a more biosecure source of seafood over imports from some countries that don’t even like the USA. The Texas aquaculture industry has great potential in the future helping the U.S. to offset part of its seafood trade deficit with catfish production and with the potential of offshore aquaculture production of a variety of fish and shellfish. cannot meet the rising demand for domestic seafood. The chart from NOAA Fisheries shows the U.S. Seafood Supply and Demand: Past and Projected to 2025, and that demand is predicted to be 14 million metric tons (almost 31 billion pounds/yr) by 2025.

According to NOAA 2004, the US fish and shellfish aquaculture industry produced 879 million pounds. There are not many references in the literature

about the total weight of aquaculture production in the US. USDA states that U.S. aquaculture is now an annual billion-dollar industry, with sales of fish, shellfish and related products growing by 11.6 percent over the past seven years, according to results of the 2005 Census of Aquaculture. The 2005 census was the second nationwide aquaculture census conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and the latest one was completed in 2009, but had data from 2007. The first survey took place in 1998. Results show that between 1998 and 2005, U.S. sales of aquaculture products grew from $978 million to nearly $1.1 billion. Census results show that food fish, including catfish, perch, , hybrid striped bass, tilapia and , accounted for 62 percent of all aquaculture sales in 2005. Mollusks, including , clams, and , comprised 19 percent of 2005 sales. , such as and shrimp, and ornamental fish, such as koi and tropical fish, each accounted for approximately 5 percent of sales. They were followed by baitfish at 4 percent and sport fish at 2 percent. Mississippi led the nation in sales of aquaculture products, with nearly $250 million dollars in catfish produced in 2005. Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana were the other states with sales topping $100 million. Louisiana had the largest number of aquaculture farms. The state's 873 farms were more than double the number in any other state. The 2005 Census of Aquaculture collected detailed information on issues including production methods, water sources, sales, distribution and farm labor. For the purpose of the census, an aquaculture farm was any commercial or non- commercial place from which $1,000 or more of aquaculture products were raised and sold, or distributed for restoration, conservation or recreational purposes during the census year. Information from the National Agriculture Statistics Service by USDA (web site http://www.nass.usda.gov/.), indicates that the U.S. industry supported a US$167 million annual payroll. Aquaculture continued to be the fastest growing sector of U.S. agriculture in 2008.

Aquaculture is a diverse industry in the , based on differences in production systems, species, practices, aquatic environments and directions in development. According to Gary Jensen (USDA), the number of farms and the value of aquaculture sales increased between 1998 and 2005, but it was at a slow rate of growth. Farm numbers grew from 4,028 to 4,309, an increase of 281 farms or about 7% increase. Sales growth was from $978,012,000 to $1,092,386, 000, an increase of $114,374,000, or an increase of about 11.6%.

Contributing to this slow growth and possibly limiting future overall growth is at least in part due to challenges facing the channel catfish industry. While still the most important farmed-species in terms of value and volume in the United States, the number of acres in production declined from 175,000 in 1999 to 151,000 in 2007. This decline paralleled the reduction in small food-size inventory grown in the four major producing states (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana) from 240 million in 1999 to 135 million in 2007. The industry is challenged by low-priced imports of basa (Pangasius spp.) from and channel catfish (Ictalurus spp.) from . The increasing costs of production driven by higher feed and fuel costs are contributing factors to slow growth as well.

Dr. Gary Jensen, further states that the US domestic aquaculture industry is made up of primarily small farms with annual income of less than $250,000 and small businesses defined as annual revenues of less than $750,000. Many rely on local or regional markets to which they sell a premium-priced special product. There are also some large-scale businesses that market through regional and national outlets and take advantage of larger economies of scale. Many sectors of the domestic aquaculture industry are challenged by imports. Tilapia imports alone have risen from about 35 million lbs. in 1994 to nearly 250 million lbs. in 2004 with continued fast-paced growth into 2010. Tilapia is also another whitefish that competes with channel catfish as another species choice for consumers.

Contributing to the increase in imports of seafood, which represent over 80 percent of total US domestic demand, is the growing demand for farmed fish. While wild-catch decreased by 2.1 lbs. per capita consumption since 1970, farmed fish increased by 7.0 lbs over this same period. New information on the health benefits of fish, the growing demand for frozen and easy to prepare meals, and changes in lifestyles are trends impacting seafood consumption. In brief, more people eat out or purchase prepared foods.

Confirmation of this growing trend for seafood is a study conducted in 2005 by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The study confirmed that 58 percent more people ate more seafood than two years previous. Their reasons for doing so include health (64%), good-tasting (60%), increased variety (50%), less interest in red meats and chicken (50%), and the meal of choice when eating out (60%).

Another study in 2006 by O’Dierno, et al., revealed that some of the key reasons that could limit future increases in seafood consumption are: lack of consumer knowledge (86%), negative media coverage (54%), price (46%), preference for meat (11%), preference for poultry (3%), and safety concerns (3%).

A separate focus group study conducted by O’Dierno, et al., found that the descriptors of seafood that conveyed the highest quality were “all natural” (23%), “organically grown” (24%) and “harvested from the wild” (53%). The focus group findings seemed to be representative of the general public’s changing buying habits in that the sale of natural foods and organic foods are up 7% and nearly 15%, respectively. Of special interest is the increase for organic meat, poultry and seafood, which were up 120%. About 70% of the consumers were willing to pay a 10% premium for fish labeled as sustainable.

The US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service reported on US fish and shellfish aquaculture production and sales in two separate tables from 1990 to 2004 (see below). These numbers are slightly different than the numbers reported by USDA from 1999 to 2005. The reporting period was different, and the NMFS tables show a decrease in Trout production and sales from 2000 to 2004, and a decrease in Salmon production and sales from 2000 to 2004.

Both USDA and NMFS data would show a decrease in US marine shrimp aquaculture production if the reporting period were extended from 2004 to present. The US marine shrimp farm production from 1988 to 2009 will be presented later in this report, and it will show a drop in production from 2004 to 2009. Texas marine shrimp production, for example, makes up about 60-70% of

US production, dropped from 5 million pounds of whole shrimp produced in 2006 to 3.4 million pounds in 2007 and to 2.179 million lbs in 2011. This drop was also a nationwide trend, which continues into 2012. Florida also had a decrease in farm-raised shrimp production in 2007 and was very low in 2008 due to the closing of two large farms. There are only a couple of shrimp farms now in Florida, the largest of which is Woods Fisheries in Port St. Joe, Fla. Because the seafood demand is up and the US aquaculture production is not growing at the same rate as demand, the United States’ reliance on imported seafood is on the increase. According to USDA, the value of US fish and shellfish imports was $9.9 Billion in 2000, and continues to grow steadily as can been seen below.

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 $9.7B $10B $10.9B $11.2B $11.9B $13.2B $13.5B

According to USDA (2008), US fish and shellfish trade deficits increased: 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 -$6.4B -$6.8B -$7.5B -$7.3B -$7.7B -$8.8B -$9.1B

Last year USDA reported that the fish and shellfish trade deficit for the US in 2011 was more than $-10 billion.

U.S. Fish and Shellfish Aquaculture Production Years 1990-2004 (1,000,000 pounds)

Year 1990 1995 2000 2004 Rate of Change 1995–2004 Finfish: Catfish 360 446 593 630 41% Salmon 9 31 49 33 7% H.S. Bass 1.5 8.3 11.2 11.5 38% Tilapia -- 15 20 20 33% Trout 56.8 55.9 59.1 54.9 -2%

Shellfish: Clams 3.6 4.3 9.9 20.9 385% Crawfish 71 58.1 17 70.3 21% Mussels 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.5 45%

Oysters 22 23.2 16.8 26.2 13% Shrimp 1.9 2.2 4.7 10.5 377%

Total lbs. 527 645 782 879 36% (X000,000) Source: NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service 2004.

U.S. Aquaculture Production Years 1990 to 2004 (1,000,000 dollars)

Year 1990 1995 2000 2004 Rate of Change 1995–2004

Finfish:

Catfish 273 351 445 439 25% Salmon 26.3 75.9 99.2 56.6 –25% H.S. Bass — 21.1 29.5 31.3 48% Tilapia — 22.6 30 40 77% Trout 64.6 61.4 63.6 57 –7%

Shellfish:

Clams 13.4 19.7 32.5 73.3 272% Crawfish 34 34.7 27.6 42.8 23% Mussels 1.1 1.2 0.525 3.9 224% Oysters 77.9 70.6 42.4 80 13% Shrimp 10.3 8.8 14.5 21.2 141%

Total $ 501 667 786 845 27% (X000,000)

Source: NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service 2004. Note: — = not available.

Source: Fisheries of the United States, 2006

Source: Fisheries of the United States, 2006

Imports Imports of edible fishery products into the United States hit record highs in 2006; 5.4 billion pounds valued more than $13 billion. The vast majority of imports originate in , primarily China and . The graph below shows the US trade of fishery products from 2000-2006. Source: Fisheries of the United States, 2006.

Source: Fisheries of the United States, 2006

Top imports include shrimp, salmon, and . However, shrimp is the largest imported seafood item by far. Almost one-quarter of total imports by weight – 30 percent by value – were shrimp; over 1.29 billion pounds of shrimp were imported in 2006. Almost three-quarters of all shrimp were imported from Asia, with the majority – more than 427 million pounds – from Thailand.

Source: Fisheries of the United States, 2006

Source: Fisheries of the United States, 2006

In 2006, U.S. consumers spent $69.5 billion on fish and shellfish, just over seven percent of total food spending. At 16.5 pounds, per capita consumption increased by 0.3 pounds over 2005, but is still lower than its 2004 peak.

Source: Fisheries of the United States, 2006

According to Seafood Choices Alliance report, "Americans split their seafood buying about equally between restaurants and retail outlets. Yet, while the quantity of seafood purchased may be about equal, the foodservice sector receives about two thirds of the revenues due to increased mark-ups, with expenditures in the retail and foodservice sectors totaling $22.6 billion and $46.5 billion respectively." Monkeydish.com is a site that stated about 60% of the seafood consumed in the US is consumed in restaurants. That number has apparently fallen since 9/11/01 and with a slumping world economy in 2009.

Source: NFI, Top 10 Leading U.S. Seafood Restaurants

Total seafood sales for foodservice in 2006 were $46.5 billion. The mark- up for seafood in foodservice is more than 280 percent, or $30 billion. Red , a unit of Darden Restaurant Group, is the single largest seafood restaurant chain, with sales in excess of $2.4 billion in 2006. Together with Wal- Mart Stores, Darden Restaurants also announced they would require their shrimp suppliers to adhere to “best aquaculture practices” as defined by the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC). With their announcement, Darden became the first company in the restaurant industry to adopt such standards. The company’s objective was to reduce the environmental impacts of shrimp farming. The companies that have now been certified by the ACC can be found on the Aquaculture Certification web site.

Among other restaurant sectors, quick service restaurants handle high volumes of seafood, while casual dining and family restaurants are able to offer more variety. Casual dining establishments – with Applebee’s and Chili’s Bar & Grill leading sales – have an overall menu focus on fried and grilled options; top items include fried shrimp, grilled farmed salmon, fried whitefish, grilled shrimp, and soups and chowders. The most popular shellfish types are shrimp, , , calamari, lobster and clams; and the top selling finfish are farmed salmon, catfish, , tilapia and tuna. Top menu items at quick service restaurants are fish sandwiches and fish baskets/platters. In this category, McDonald’s is at the top of the sales chart by a wide margin, with more than $25.6 billion in sales. For its Filet-O-Fish sandwich, McDonald’s consumes more than 100 million pounds of fish annually. Interestingly, McDonald’s primarily uses Alaska for its sandwich, which has been certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council standard. For a company needing to ensure long- term business , use of certified products is the best way to ensure continuity and sustainability of supply.

According to personal communication with the folks at Fishwise, the percent of seafood consumed in US restaurants was about 68% in 2003. A good source of information about US seafood would be from Howard Johnson Associates’ annual seafood markets report (http://www.hmj.com/). At that site there is a report entitled “Seafood Vision 2020”. Seafood Vision 2020 is an exclusive PowerPoint presentation (see presentation outline) given by Howard M. Johnson, president, H.M. Johnson & Associates offering an in-depth analysis of the U.S. seafood market through the year 2020 within the context of global seafood trends in supply and demand. This analysis looks at the impact of increased population and shifting demographics on future seafood demand and identifies the strategies companies and organizations will need to capitalize on the seafood market of the future.

Source: H.M. Johnson & Associates web site

Changes in U.S. population and demographics will have significant effects on seafood products and forms, as well as where seafood is purchased and consumed.

The above graph shows the projected deomgraphics, population, and demand for seafood in U.S. 2000 to 2020 (Source: U.S. Seafood Market in 2020, H. M. Johnson & Assoc., Jacksonville, Or.).

Global sources of seafood, 1973-2020 (Source: U.S. Seafood Market in 2020, H. M. Johnson & Assoc., Jacksonville, Or.).

Doris Hicks, Lori Pivarnik† and Ryan McDermott published “Consumer perceptions about seafood – an Internet survey”, in the Journal of Foodservice in 2008. Consumer knowledge of and attitude toward seafood and seafood consumption was assessed by this group using a nationwide Internet survey. The survey was evaluated for content validity and was pilot tested by consumers. According to the authors there were 1062 respondents representing the US population for age, gender, income, ethnicity and geographic location. Respondents were asked questions regarding seafood consumption frequency, sources of information about seafood and preferred formats, knowledge of key seafood issues, and barriers to seafood consumption. Consumers were asked if they had heard positive or negative information about seafood and where they heard this information. Respondents were categorized as current seafood eaters (CSE), 88%; former seafood eaters (FSE), 9%; and nonseafood eaters (NSE), 3%. While only 22% of Americans met the USDA recommendation of two servings of seafood each week, overall, 45% ate seafood at least once a week. Only 19% of women of childbearing age ate seafood two or more times per week. The top-ranking reason for not eating seafood or changing seafood consumption habits was taste preference (46%) for FSE and NSE respondents, and affordability (45%) for CSE. Based on the results of this survey, a better understanding of consumers’ seafood habits can be used for the development of balanced messages for consumers over a variety of demographics. Respondents chose the media (30%) and the Internet (14%) as their preferred seafood information resource. For more detail on this seafood survey consult Blackwell Publishing Journal of Foodservice 2008 or contact the primary author, Doris Hicks, University of Delaware, Delaware Sea Grant Program, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958, USA. Tel:+302 645 4297; Fax:+302 645 4213; E-mail: [email protected], and request a copy of the 14 page survey.

Global Aquaculture Summary:

Globally, aquaculture is growing faster than agriculture. The FAO expects the strong growth to continue for decades to come: “Aquaculture continues to be the fastest growing food-producing sector and to outpace population growth; per capita supply from aquaculture increased from 0.7 kg in 1970 to 7.8 kg in 2006, an average annual growth rate of 6.9 percent.” (FAO 2005, State of world aquaculture. http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/13540/en).

Most commercial aquaculture enterprises have significant direct ecological, economic and social effects on the immediate vicinity. There are also issues related to inputs that are sourced externally and transported to the aquaculture site. Although there is no easily written definition for “sustainable aquaculture,” a goal can be defined of minimizing both the utilization of natural resources for inputs, and the ecological and social impacts from outputs. To reduce the environmental impacts of aquaculture development, efforts are needed to improve resource use and develop best management practices. Sustainable aquaculture requires human resource development and capacity building (FAO, http://www.fao.org/focus/e/fisheries/sustaq.htm). Given the rapid growth of aquaculture globally, it is important for academic institutions to define the curricula (undergraduate and graduate level) and research facilities required to further education and basic research in sustainable aquaculture deemed necessary for human resource development and capacity building.

Overview: Aquaculture continues to be the fastest growing animal food- producing sector and to outpace population growth. Per capita supply from aquaculture increased from 0.7 kg in 1970 to 7.8 kg in 2006, an average annual growth rate of 6.9 percent. It is set to overtake capture fisheries as a source of food fish. From a production of less than 1 million per year in the early 1950s, production in 2006 was reported to be 51.7 million tonnes with a value of US$78.8 billion, representing an annual growth rate of nearly 7 percent.

Regional growth of aquaculture: Production within each region is diverse. World aquaculture is heavily dominated by the Asia–Pacific region, which accounts for 89 percent of production in terms of quantity and 77 percent in terms of value. This dominance is mainly due to China’s enormous production, which accounts for 67 percent of global production in terms of quantity and 49 percent of global value. China produces 77 percent of all (cyprinids) and 82 percent of the global supply of oysters (ostreids). The Asia–Pacific region accounts for 98 percent of , 95 percent of production, and 88 percent of and (penaeids). Norway and Chile are the world’s two leading producers of cultured (salmonids), accounting for 33 and 31 percent,

respectively, of world production.

Global outlook: Aquaculture is developing, expanding and intensifying in almost all regions of the world, except in Sub-Saharan Africa, as the global population demand for aquatic food products is expected to increase. Globally, production from capture fisheries has leveled off and most of the main areas have reached their maximum potential. Sustaining fish supplies from capture fisheries will, therefore, not be able to meet the growing global demand for aquatic food. According to FAO projections, it is estimated that in order to maintain the current level of per capita consumption, global aquaculture production will need to reach 80 million tonnes by 2050. Aquaculture has the potential to make a significant contribution to this increasing demand for aquatic food in most regions of the world; however, in order to achieve this, the sector (and aqua-farmers) will face great challenges. Aquaculture is making an important contribution to global production and a number of key development trends are taking place. It is apparent that the aquaculture sector continues to intensify and diversify, to use new species and modifying its systems and practices. Aquaculture is doing this with the growing awareness that it must be done through the responsible use of the resources upon which it depends and to society in general. Markets, trade and consumption preferences, strongly influence the growth of the sector, with clear demands for production of safe and quality products. As a consequence, increasing emphasis is placed on enhanced enforcement of regulation and better governance of the sector. It is increasingly realized that this cannot be achieved without the participation of the producers in decision making and regulation process, which has led to efforts to empower farmers and their associations and move towards increasing self-regulation. These factors are all contributing towards improving management of the sector, typically through promoting “better management” practices of producers. Aquatic plant production by aquaculture in 2006 was 15.1 million tonnes. The culture of aquatic plants has increased consistently, with an average annual growth rate of 8 percent since 1970. In 2006, it contributed 93 percent of the world’s total supply of aquatic plants, or 15.1 million tonnes (US$7.2 billion), some 72 percent of which was produced by China. However, growth rates for aquaculture production are slowing, partly owing to public concerns about aquaculture practices and fish quality. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) remain a controversial issue. In response to these concerns, integrated multitrophic aquaculture (which promotes economic and environmental sustainability) and are on the rise. At the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership 2010 Conference (Kuala Lumpur, , October 2010), Dr. James Anderson, former chairman of the Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island (USA) and current fisheries and aquaculture adviser to the ’s Global Program on Fisheries (Italy), presented information on world shrimp production. His sources

included the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, various national aquaculture associations and an extensive survey of key industry players.

Estimated Farmed Shrimp Production in Asia and * Asia 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 China 1,265,636 1,286,074 1,181,130 899,600 962,000 1,048,000 Thailand 504,856 507,500 541,994 548,800 553,200 591,500 Vietnam 376,700 381,300 302,400 357,700 403,600 444,500 330,155 408,346 299,050 333,860 390,631 442,757 107,665 86,600 76,261 94,190 107,737 116,103 Bangldesh 63,600 67,197 105,000 110,000 115,000 120,000 Asia Total 2,648,612 2,719,017 2,505,835 2,344,150 2,532,168 2,762,860 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 150,000 150,000 140,000 145,000 148,000 152,000 Mexico 111,787 130,201 130,000 91,500 120,000 132,000 65,000 65,000 65,000 72,000 82,000 90,000 20,300 20,300 20,016 16,500 15,000 14,000 26,333 26,586 20,000 30,800 22,000 22,000 17,658 16,002 18,000 20,000 15,000 15,000 Amer. Total 391,078 408,089 393,016 376,300 402,000 425,500 Grand Total 3,039,690 3,127,106 2,898,851 2,720,450 2,934,168 3,188,360 *In metric tons, freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp.) not included.

Source: The Global Aquaculture Advocate (The Global Magazine for Farmed Seafood). Editor, Darryl Jory. Volume 14, Issue-1, Page 10, January/February 2011.

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1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2

Source: FAO, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2006

Production by Weight Economic Value ($US Billion) Plantae Aquaticae Other US$ 7.1 US$ 1.5

Plantae Aquaticae 23%

Other Pisces Crustacea 1% 49% US$ 15.7 Pisces US$ 42.7 Crustacea 6% Mollusca 21% US$ 11.4

Source: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Information and Statistics Service (2007)

240

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1995/97 2000 2005 2010 2015 2030

Supply Demand

Courtesy R. Langan

Increase in US trade deficit

The latest aquaculture statistics and US seafood import data can generally be found at the following web link: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Aquaculture/

This USDA Economic Research Service site generally gives catfish, trout, salmon, tilapia, shrimp and shellfish data. The catfish inventory on hand is given. Grower and processor total sales and average prices and processor sales are provided, and imports of salmon, tilapia and shrimp.

Continuing with US Aquaculture and Seafood Industry:

The US fish and shellfish deficit ranked between 17th to 25th among all other trade deficits in the US from 2000 to 2007. Fish and shellfish was ranked 22 among other deficits in 2007 and in 2007 the US fish and shellfish imports

passed the $9B mark ($9.19 billion, a 3.8% increase over 2006) and the US seafood imports rose to about $10B in 2008, with only $2.7 B in seafood exports. According to Seafood Choices Alliance publication entitled “The U.S. Marketplace for Sustainable Seafood: ARE WE HOOKED YET?”, “Although shrimp topped the charts for the last six years as America’s favorite seafood – 4.4 pounds per person per year – the majority of the U.S. shrimp supply is imported product. U.S. fishermen in New England, the South Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico landed more than 292 million pounds of shrimp in 2006, with the Gulf region responsible for 84 percent of the total. The United States imported more than 1.3 billion pounds of shrimp in 2006, an increase of 135.5 million pounds compared to 2005 –more than 950 million pounds of which was from Asia alone.”

The US Soybean Board-Aquaculture Industry Coalition held its seventh annual meeting on March 3, 2011, during the Aquaculture America 2011 conference. It took place at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel New Orleans, LA. Mr. Randy Rhodes, the President of Harvest Select Catfish Company, a firm that owns hatcheries, farms and processing facilities and a transportation fleet in both Alabama and Mississippi. Mr. Rhodes topic was “U.S. Catfish – Decade of Change”. Mr. Rhodes noted that catfish, which ranked fifth in per-capita domestic consumption for several years, was replaced in 2006 by tilapia. Domestic consumption of catfish declined from a high of 1.137 lbs/capita in 2003 to 0.849 lbs. in 2009. Of serious concern to the industry is the fact that catfish imports, consisting of both Ictalurus and Pangasius, have soared from about one million pounds in 1996 to nearly 140 million pounds in 2010. In no small part due to these imports, the number of catfish farms and production has steadily declined. Farming operations in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana declined from a high of 933 in 2001 to 459 in 2010. Catfish acreage dropped from slightly over 180,000 acres in 2001 to a projected 90,000 acres in 2011. Between 2001 and 2011, the percentage decline in acreage was: Mississippi (51%), Alabama (21%), Arkansas (63%) and Louisiana (89%).

Mr. Rhodes noted the adverse effect of the decline in production and thus supply has been the drop in fish available for processing. For example, processing for 2009 ranged from a high of about 44 million pounds to a low of about 34 million pounds. For 2010, the range was similar: from 47 million pounds to 34 million pounds. However, for the first two months of 2011, the volume dropped from 35 million pounds in January to 26 million pounds in mid- February. Conversely, Mr. Rhodes noted, the price/pound to producers increased from slight less than $0.80 in 2009 to slightly over $0.80 in 2010. However, for the first two months of 2011, it increased to $0.95 - $1.05, all in live weight. This represents an increase over the same period last year of from $0.15 - $0.20/pound. However, while grower income is up, so is the price of feed, it increasing from slightly below $250/ton for feed containing 32% soybean meal

(+/- $240 for 28%) in January 2006 to over $400/ton and $390/ton, respectively, for the same period in 2011. These increases are not necessarily good for the U.S. feed industry and thus the U.S. soybean grower and processors: between 2007 and 2010, feed delivery declined from nearly 700,000 tons to slightly over 400,000 tons.

What does the future hold for the domestic catfish industry? Mr. Rhodes said it depends on the individual producer. He noted banks are reluctant to approve loans lacking proof of positive cash flow. To this end, they are beginning to require a three-year budget projection, including such information as the number of fish in the pond each month, and the cost of growing them. They also want to know the projected per-pound income on fish sold and how it offsets the cost of projected production.

Mr. Rhodes closed by noting the industry will retrench and survive, albeit at a lower but more sustainable level of production. He predicts this level will be in the range of 375 – 400 million pounds, far less than the 660 million pounds of production in prior years. Contingent on this new, but more solid base of production will be the willingness of the consumer to accept the higher price she or he must pay at retail and/or when dining out.

List of Aquaculture Facilities in Texas

The list of aquaculture facilities licensed for aquaculture by the Texas Dept. of Agriculture (TDA) numbered 180 and are as follows:

Facility Name Physical Address City Zip County

JOHN C RHYNE 2232 MONROE PORT O'CONNOR TX 77982 CALHOUN

5B FARMS 11265 FM 444 S INEZ TX 77968 VICTORIA

ALL ABOUT FUN HOBBIES 415 N MAIN ST STE AND GAMES 105 EULESS TX 76039 TARRANT

AQUA FARMS OF TEXAS RR 2 BOX 103B EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

22038 PELICAN AQUA TECH SHRIMP FARM EDGE SAN ANTONIO TX 78258 BEXAR

AQUACULTURE FARM 7201 A DR TEXAS CITY TX 77590 GALVESTON

AQUACULTURE OF TEXAS 4141 E IH 20 INC SERVICE RD N WEATHERFORD TX 76087 PARKER

314 W BELTLINE RD DESOTO TX 75115 DALLAS AND EARTH

SUSTAINABLE LIVING INC

ARMS BAIT CO AND FISH FARM INC RR 2 BOX 115 DUBLIN TX 76446 ERATH

ARROYO AQUACULTURE 36386 MARSHALL ASSOCIATION HUTTS RD RIO HONDO TX 78583 CAMERON

BILLY C CAIN CR 448 GAINESVILLE TX 76240 COOKE

BLESSING FARM 5151 FM 616 BLESSING TX 77465 MATAGORDA

BOLLINGER LYLE 3890 DACY LN KYLE TX 78640 HAYS

BOWERS FISH FARM HC 62 BOX 93 EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

BOWERS SHRIMP FARM 1073 CR 320 COLLEGEPORT TX 77428 MATAGORDA

BRENHAM FISHERIES 6257 HWY 36 N BRENHAM TX 77833 WASHINGTON

BRENHAM I S D 525 A H EHRIG DR BRENHAM TX 77833 WASHINGTON

BRYCE STEPHEN KING 2172 CR 4778 WINNSBORO TX 75494 WOOD

BUCKS UNLIMITED INC 7243 FM 943 LIVINGSTON TX 77351 POLK

C AND J FISH FARM HWY 35 SOUTH PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

CAMELOT BELL TROPHY BASS 560 LCR 181 COOLIDGE TX 76635 LIMESTONE

CAPOTE FISH FARM 1975 SAGEBIEL RD SEGUIN TX 78155 GUADALUPE

CARTER'S FISH FARM RR 2 BOX 388 BOYD TX 76023 WISE

CATFISH CORNER 1702 LAWSON RD MESQUITE TX 75181 DALLAS

RR 2 CHARLIES FISH BAIT AND TACKLE EASTLAND TX 76448 EASTLAND

CHASE HOLUB 1930 CR 411 EL MATON TX 77440 MATAGORDA

CHUANG'S INTERNATIONAL 35775 MARSHALL DEVELOPMENT INC HUTTS RD RIO HONDO TX 78583 CAMERON

CIRCLE W CATFISH FARM 24753 CR 448 VAN TX 75790 VAN ZANDT

CLEAR FORK KOI FARM 150 TOTO RD WEATHERFORD TX 76088 PARKER

COTULLA LLC 1531 S MAIN ST COTULLA TX 78014 LA SALLE

COW BAYOU FISH FARM ORANGE TX 77631 ORANGE

CRAWFISH FARM, THE CO RD 426 DANEVANG TX 77432 WHARTON

D & R FISH FARM 3686 REHBURY RD BURTON TX 77835 WASHINGTON

D AND D CATFISH FARM 23470 FM 2767 E KILGORE TX 75662 GREGG

D AND G GROWERS 2875 N HWY 281 HAMILTON TX 76531 HAMILTON

14811 COUNTY DANBURY FISH FARMS ROAD 171 DANBURY TX 77534 BRAZORIA

DANCE A TOON CATFISH RR 6 BOX 380A CLARKSVILLE TX 75426 RED RIVER

DANIEL E ESTES III 4545 CR 358 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

DANNY HAM'S CATFISH FM 225 N OF FARM CUSHING CUSHING TX 75760 NACOGDOCHES

DAVID SCHMIDT FISH FARM 374 CR 466 RD EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

CR 210 5 MI N OF CR DIEZ PATOS LTD 208 LIVERPOOL TX 0 BRAZORIA

DOGUET'S CRAWFISH FARM 16939 HWY 90 BEAUMONT TX 77713 JEFFERSON

RT 3 COUNTY RD 422 SEMINOLE TX 79360 GAINES

DOX AQUACULTURE 8803 CR 198 ALVIN TX 77511 BRAZORIA

DUB ROLAND'S FARM POND MANAGEMENT 2869 ROLAND RD WHITESBORO TX 76273 GRAYSON

9 MILES NORTH OF WHITESBORO ON GORDONVILLE TX 76245 GRAYSON

3MI SW OF E R W INC COMANCHE COMANCHE TX 76442 COMANCHE

EAGLES NEST LLC

MURCHISON TX 75778 ANDERSON

EARL E SCHMIDT AND SONS HC 62 BOX 136 EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

EARL UNRUH 210 PATRIOT DR BLOSSOM TX 75416 LAMAR

12505 WILD ONION EATEX FISHERIES RD ORE CITY TX 75683 UPSHUR

EL MATON FISH FARMS 2614 FM 459 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

EXXON MOBIL BAYTOWN COMPLEX 2800 DECKER DR BAYTOWN TX 77520 HARRIS

FARM FRESH TEXAS 317 CR 34500 SUMNER TX 75486 LAMAR

FISH TAILS 31920 PARKWAY ST MAGNOLIA TX 77354 MONTGOMERY

FISH TRADERS OF TEXAS 2655 HWY 77 S WAXAHACHIE TX 75165 ELLIS

FISHING HOLE INC 37782 FM 529 BROOKSHIRE TX 77423 WALLER

15293 SHELLWOOD FRISCO AQUAPONICS LN FRISCO TX 75035 COLLIN

GALVESTON BAY 111 PELICAN ISLAND AQUACULTURE CAUSEWAY GALVESTON TX 77554 GALVESTON

GRAYBURN FISH FARM BROOD STOCK LOCATION 200 E BARKLEY SOUR LAKE TX 77659 HARDIN

GREEN LAKE FISHERIES 13814 HWY 35 S PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

GREENBRANCH FISH 9469 STEEPHOLLOW FARM AND BAIT STORE RD BRYAN TX 77808 BRAZOS

GULF MARINE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MARICULTURE 610 LEASE 860161 MATAGORDA TX 0 MATAGORDA

H AND H FARM'S 6907 W HWY 7 POLLOK TX 75969 ANGELINA

HANNA LEIGH FARM 4543 DOSS RD #D2 AUSTIN TX 78734 TRAVIS

HARLINGEN SHRIMP FARMS FM 2925 ARROYO CITY TX 78583 CAMERON

HARLINGEN SHRIMP FARMS LTD 44099 SCHAFER RD LOS FRESNOS TX 78566 CAMERON

HEARD FARMS HWY 616 S FRANCITAS TX 77961 JACKSON

HEB #061 4001 N LAMAR BLVD AUSTIN TX 78756 TRAVIS

HERRMANN FISH FARM 4977 CR 83 ROBSTOWN TX 78380 NUECES

1118 SMALLWOOD HOUSTON FACILITY LN HOUSTON TX 77023 HARRIS

HULA FARMS INC 5090 CR 414 MARKHAM TX 77456 MATAGORDA

HURRICANE LAKE AND 1901 A MAGNOLIA FOUNTAIN DR PASADENA TX 77503 HARRIS

INTEGATED AQUACULTURE SITE 003 FM 1227 GRIMES TX 77830 GRIMES

INT OF FM 2626 AND IPES CATFISH FARM LEESMILL RD NEWTON TX 75966 NEWTON

J K AQUAFARMS 4608 FM 1163 EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

J R ENTERPRISES 5090 CR 414 MARKHAM TX 77456 MATAGORDA

JACKSON BROTHERS FEED 3818 STREADAWAY ABILENE TX 79602 JONES

JB FISH FARM 1808 FM 109 BRENHAM TX 77833 WASHINGTON

JERRON'S FISHING HOLE RR 6 BOX 550 PARIS TX 75462 LAMAR

JOHN C RHYNE 5929 HWY 185 PORT O'CONNOR TX 77982 CALHOUN

152 GRAVEL JOHN D HALL SLOUGH RD FERRIS TX 75125 DALLAS

JOHN LEITA CATFISH FARM 534 LEITA RD INEZ TX 77968 VICTORIA

JOHNNIE CARROLL FISH FARMS 1071 CR 385 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

JOHNSON LAKE MANAGEMENT SERVICE 310 DEERWOOD DR SAN MARCOS TX 78666 HAYS

JR'S AQUACULTURE FARM INC 2320 FM 3280 PALACIOS TX 77465 JACKSON

219 N VAN BUREN K G HALE ST HENDERSON TX 75652 RUSK

KAMEY KATFISH 372 KAMEY RD PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

SULPHUR KELLY J BROYLES RR 4 BOX 107B SPRINGS TX 75482 HOPKINS

1267 CR 134 HALLETTSVILLE TX 77964 LAVACA KENNETH HENNEKE

HUMPBACK BLUE CATFISH

KEVIN'S GAME FISH 4745 REDBIRD ST PORT ARTHUR TX 77642 JEFFERSON

KOI RANCH 1342 CR 4102 JACKSONVILLE TX 75766 CHEROKEE

KURTIS D KOOP 1606 CR 110 EDNA TX 77957 JACKSON

LABATT FISH FARM 5254 US HWY 181 N FLORESVILLE TX 78114 WILSON

LAKES OF DANBURY 14302 CR 602 DANBURY TX 77534 BRAZORIA

LARRY'S FISH FARM 4203 N HWY 77 GIDDINGS TX 78942 LEE

136 A RIVER RANCH LAURA JOANN RD BOERNE TX 78006 KENDALL

LECOMPTELAKES 1635 LAKE DANBURY TX 77534 BRAZORIA

LICATINO FARMS BIG HILL R PORT ARTHUR TX 77640 JEFFERSON

LOCHOW RANCH 4700 CR 342 MILANO TX 76556 MILAM

LONE STAR 2126 HAMILTON DR AQUACULTURE #240 ARGYLE TX 76226 DENTON

138 WOODS LONE WOLF FARMS CEMETERY RD YORKTOWN TX 78164 DEWITT

LONESTAR AQUAFARMS 1014 JACKSON CR LTD 477 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

9244 TEN MILE LONG HORN FISH FARM BRIDGE RD FORT WORTH TX 76135 TARRANT

MARK BUILDING SUPPLY 6600 GLEN ROSE INC HWY GRANBURY TX 76048 HOOD

MARK KUBECKA FARMS CRD 327 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

MARSHALL OTT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 410 BENT WAY MARBLE FALLS TX 78654 BURNET

MENGERS AND SONS FARM 1.5 MI N OF TYNAN TYNAN TX 78391 BEE

MICHAEL J SAHA JR CR 357 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

35815 MARSHALL MICHAEL SHRIMP FARM HUTTS RIO HONDO TX 78583 CAMERON

MR FISH 16914 CR 210 DANBURY TX 77534 BRAZORIA

833 CR 583 LA COSTE TX 78039 MEDINA NATURALSHRIMP

HEADQUARTERS

OAKHURST BAIT COMPANY 1131 HWY 190 OAKHURST TX 77359 SAN JACINTO

OVERTON FISHERIES 19367 IH 45 S BUFFALO TX 75831 BRAZOS

PALACIOS FACILITY 5165 CR 324 PALACIOS TX 77456 MATAGORDA

PATRICK J HICKL 3743 CR 411 ELMATON TX 77440 MATAGORDA

PERMIAN SEA ORGANICS 1 MI E ON FM 11 IMPERIAL TX 79743 PECOS

PIECES 153 13935 HWY 87 S SHELBYVILLE TX 75973 SHELBY

PONDS ACROSS TEXAS 142 CR 4463 DECATUR TX 76234 WISE

R AND G SHRIMP COMPANY SEE ATTACHED MAP PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

CR 391 ROBBINS R AND R FARMS SLOUGH PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

R SCOTT ENTERPRISES INC 2574 FM 1343 DEVINE TX 78016 MEDINA

RED DEER PARK INC 830 BURNETT ST MIAMI TX 79059 ROBERTS

1611 VAN ZANDT CR RICHARD DOSS 1509 GRAND SALINE TX 75140 VAN ZANDT

ROBERT LEHMANN 610 GIESE LN WARDA TX 78960 FAYETTE

ROBERT MAREK 2860 FARIK RD PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

ROQUE FARMS 145 HWY 489 OAKWOOD TX 75855 FREESTONE

ROSENBERG FISHING FARM 202 DAILY RD ROSENBERG TX 77471 FORT BEND

SAHA FISH 2895 CR 391 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

35417 MARSHALL SAN TUNG INC HUTTS RIO HONDO TX 78583 CAMERON

SARTWELLE FARM 2119 CR 473 PALACIOS TX 77465 JACKSON

SCOTT A GILLIAM 2317 CLARK DR LA MARQUE TX 77568 GALVESTON

FM 3280 WELL SEASIDE AQUACULTURE POINT RD PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

SEASONS AQUAFARM 2217 DOWNING LN LEANDER TX 78641 WILLIAMSON

SIDNEY SCHMIDT 1550 CR 408 EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

SILVER STREAK BASS 1205 FRANK COMPANY STUBBS EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

SIMARON FISH INC 25923 NELSON RD HEMPSTEAD TX 77445 WALLER

SKY LAKE FISH FARM LLC 1730 WOLFF RD ROUND TOP TX 78954 FAYETTE

SOUTH TEXAS CRAWFISH 3 MI S OF MATHIS INC FM 666 MATHIS TX 78363 SAN PATRICIO

SOUTHEAST TEXAS CRAWFISH FARM WINNIE TX 77665 CHAMBERS

SOUTHEAST TEXAS FISHERIES 5151 FM616 BLESSING TX 77419 MATAGORDA

SOUTHWEST AQUATIC SERVICES 3862 HWY 90A ALTAIR TX 77412 COLORADO

SOUTHWEST FISH HATCHERY 6122 CR 319B TERRELL TX 75161 KAUFMAN

ST ANTHONY FISH FARM LTD 1297 FM 3280 PALACIOS TX 77465 JACKSON

ST MARTIN AQUACULTURE INC 3104 FM 3280 PALACIOS TX 77465 CALHOUN

STAVEN L SCHMIDT 5714 CR 424 EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

STEVE FRIESS 1619 RIDEWOOD MAGNOLIA TX 77355 MONTGOMERY

STILES FARM FOUNDATION 5700 FM 1063 THRALL TX 76578 WILLIAMSON

STILL WATERS FISH FARM 8621 FM 943 LIVINGSTON TX 77351 POLK

SUNRISE RIDGE ALGAE TEST FARM 2210 FM 973 AUSTIN TX 78725 TRAVIS

200 W TANK TANK HOLLOW FISHERIES HOLLOW RD POTEET TX 78065 ATASCOSA

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION CNR OF 2ND AND CENTER GRANDVIEW ST ODESSA TX 79760 ECTOR

TEXAS A&M UNIV SYS AQUACULTURAL COLLEGE RESEARCH 2258 TAMU STATION TX 77843 BRAZOS

TEXAS A&M UNV SHRIMP MARICULTURE PROJECT 1300 PORT ST PORT ARANSAS TX 78373 NUECES

4301 WALDRON RD CORPUS CHRISTI TX 78418 NUECES TEXAS A&M UNV SHRIMP

MARICULTURE PROJECT

TEXAS AQUATIC DISTRIBUTION 5151 HWY 616 BLESSING TX 77419 MATAGORDA

THE BAIT BARN FISHERIES 2704 HWY 21 E BRYAN TX 77803 BRAZOS

THE DIBS FOUNDATION PILOT PROJECT 3702 SPRING CT MANVEL TX 77578 BRAZORIA

TIP FARM INC 692 HERMOSA LN EL CAMPO TX 77437 WHARTON

TLM RANCH 2775 41ST ST SE PARIS TX 75462 LAMAR

TOTAL LAKE MANAGEMENT 9250 FM 2549 BRYAN TX 77808 ROBERTSON

7979 N ELDRIDGE TRADER VILLAGE RD HOUSTON TX 77041 HARRIS

1 MI S OF PORT TRAN'S CATFISH FARM INC LAVACA ON FM 12 PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

TRANS AQUACULTURE INC CR 391 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

TRICE FISH FARMS 1619 CR 29 LAMESA TX 79331 DAWSON

TURTLE CREEK TURTLE CREEK AND AQUACULTURE HWY 35 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

TYLER FISH FARMS, INC. 3096 VZ CR 4923 BEN WHEELER TX 75754 VAN ZANDT

VACEK FARMS 3500 CR 357 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

VICTOR AND BARBARA CORPOON 1156 CR 385 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

VOLLMAR POND AND LAKE MANAGEMENT 201 BROADMOOR FREDERICKSBURG TX 78624 GILLESPIE

WALTER BOWERS FISH FARM 5758 FM 1095 PALACIOS TX 77465 MATAGORDA

4 1/2 MI FROM HWY WALTERS FARM 7 ON CR 202 CENTERVILLE TX 75833 LEON

WAYNE J WOLFE 2 WOLFE DR LAMPASAS TX 76550 LAMPASAS

WERNSING FISH FARM 8069 CR 498 JEWETT TX 75846 LEON

WHITAKER FARM JV FISHER SMITH RD PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

WHITAKER FARMS 257 HULEO RD PORT LAVACA TX 77979 CALHOUN

WHITE FENCE INDUSTRIES 17292 FM 225 S DOUGLASS TX 75943 NACOGDOCHES

WICKS BREEDER FARM 4190 N FM 225 DOUGLASS TX 75943 NACOGDOCHES

WILLIAM W YORK 1301 S FIGRIDGE RD STOWELL TX 77661 CHAMBERS

711 NAVARRO ST WOMACK FISH FARM STE 404 SAN ANTONIO TX 78205 BEXAR

Thomas (Rick) Garza is Texas Dept. of Agric. Aquaculture Program Coordinator or Coordinator for the Commodity Programs and is assisted by Kerry Cowlishaw, Regulatory Program Specialist. Their contact information is:

Thomas (Rick) Garza, Texas Department of Agriculture, Coordinator for the Commodity Programs, Phone (512) 936-2430 fax (888) 215-4883,

[email protected]

Kerry Cowlishaw, Regulatory Program Specialist [email protected] Office 512-463-7400 Fax 888-215-4883

Joe Benavides Regulatory Branch Chief Texas Department of Agriculture (512) 463-5706

State Govt. contacts for aquaculture:

Texas Aquaculture Production (Estimations) – 2011

Product / #Operators / Acres under water / Estimated Production (lbs) / Value (US$)

Catfish /30 /2,160 ac. / 14.4 million lbs./ $14.4 million (Estimate from Peter Woods, TAE, 1/18/12)

Red Drum / 5 / 710 total ac. (600ac. grow out) / 3,250,000 lbs. / $9,000,000 (Est. from J. Ekstrom 2012)

Hybrid Striped Bass / 4 / 1,800 ac. / 3,500,000 lbs / $9,400,000 (Est. from J. Ekstrom, 2012)

Water Gardens / Operators ? / Production ?/ retail sales $7,000,000+

Aquatic Nurseries / 5 / Ac. ? / $ Value ?

Marine Shrimp / 5/ 629 ac. / 2,179,508 lbs. / $5,230,819 (from Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan, TPWD, Jan. 2012)

(*)Sportfish (not red drum) / 44 farms / 576 ac. /13,275,000 fish sold/ $4,182,000

(Sportfish information from USDA, 2009)

(*) Trout /3 farms/ ? acres/value? (per USDA, 2009)

Crawfish / 20 / 1,500 ac. / 800,000 lbs. / $1,000,000 (also included under Crustaceans and information from USDA, 2009)

Tilapia (food fish) / 2 operators / 150,000 lbs. / $277,500 (Ya-Sheng Juan & Rob Schmid, TPWD)

Tilapia (recreational stocking) /13 operators / Ac. ?/ lbs. ? / $ Value ? (Simeron in Hempstead produced 80,000 stocker fish in 2011)

(*)Ornamentals / 27 operators / 40 ac. / lbs. ? / $892,000 (USDA, 2009)

(*)Baitfish / 25 operators / 20 ac. / 81,000lbs. / $398,000 (USDA, 2009)

Alligators / 12 operators / ac. ? / lbs. ? / $100,000 (USDA, 2009)

(*) Other food fish 20 farms/6,916,000 lbs/ $14,692,000 (USDA, 2009)

(*)Other aquaculture products/16 farms/ only 5 farms responded to USDA survey

(*)- Indicates that information was derived from USDA aquaculture survey conducted nationwide 2009.

Historical average for Texas aquaculture production is: Estimated Totals from approximately 180 operations on TDA aquaculture licenses list / Approx. 8,000 ac./Approx. 30,000,000 pounds,/ Approx. US $60,000,000 Total Value. Estimated $360 million/yr total economic impact on state’s economy when jobs, feed, and other economical benefits are included.

Texas Catfish according to Texas Dept. of Agric. Statistics

Major Cost of Most Aquaculture Operations is Feed

When USDA had $50M in Wash DC set aside for the US aquaculture industry for feed assistance, because feed costs had jumped some 25% in 2008, USDA went to the various aquaculture producing states in the USA and asked the state governing bodies for assistance. In the case of Texas, it was the Texas Dept. of Agriculture (TDA), that issues aquaculture licenses for the state. The USDA asked TDA to determine how much aquacutlure feed was used in Texas in 2008 and over a 5 year period prior to 2008, determine what % the feed cost increased in 2008. TDA came to the Texas Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist and requested assistance. It was determined by calling the individual farms that Texas producers used an estimated 44,000 tons or 88 million pounds of aquaculture feed in 2008. This figure was compared to the figures provided to TDA by the feed companies and found to be very similar. USDA then determined that Texas producers would receive $1.6 million dollars in feed assistance in the form of vouchers to the feed mills, with a maximum benefit to each producer set at $100,000. However, stipulations placed on the producers to qualify kept some producers from receiving the maximum benefit.

The following data was compiled thanks to the assistance of the Texas aquaculture producers whom cooperated with the effort:

Redfish: 42% of cost is feed. 5 year average cost was $0.39/lb. or $780/ton before 2008. Cost of feed was $0.41/lb or $820/ton in 2009. The redfish feed in 2010 was $0.51/lb in smaller quantities and slightly lower with volume buying.

Hybrid Striped Bass: 44.2% of total cost is feed. 68.1% of the production cost. Average feed cost from 2005 to 2009 was $642.65/ton or $0.32/lb. This average is considerably less than the $773.83/ton ($0.38.7/lb) average for the year 2008. 21% higher in 2008 over 2007. Average feed cost for years 2003 to 2007:

2003, 4,072,585 lbs (2,036 tons) $898,412.65

2004. 5,452,390 lbs (2,726 tons) $1,371,453.10

2005. 6,399,110 lbs (3,199 tons) $1,624,085.22

2006. 8,201,520 lbs (4,100 tons) $2,297,328.21

2007 9,290,780 lbs. (4,645 tons) $3,001,509.02

HSB feed average cost for 2003-2007 comes out to $.275/lb or $550/ton HSB feed in 2008 was $0.38.7/lb or $773.83/ton, a $223.83/ton increase over ’03-’07 average or a 40.6% increase.

Marine Shrimp: 40 % of the cost is feed, depending upon how much overhead is included. For the past several years feed costs have skyrocketed. For 30% protein shrimp feed US$/100 lbs delivered: '08 38.62 '07 32.69 '06 28.21 '05 27.70 '04 28.00 '03 25.00 18% increase in 30% protein shrimp feed cost from 2007 to 2008. 30% protein shrimp feed average cost from 2003 to 2007 was $28.32/100 lbs. 30% protein shrimp feed cost for 2008 was $38.62/100 lbs., a $10.30/100 lb. increase over the ’03-’07 average of $28.32/ 100 lbs, or a 36% increase between the average ’03-’07 price and the ’08 price.

Shrimp Feed information from different farm: Feed cost per pound 2004 29.6 cent/lb total $247,558 2005 23 cent/lb total $388,365 2006 31.9 cent/lb total $481,658 2007 36 cent/lb total $93,436 2008 44.1 cent/lb total $233,512

Feed cost as % of total costs 2004 25.8% 2005 33.7% 2006 38.6% 2007 18.5% because he purchased some more equipment. 2008 36.5%

Shrimp feed in 2011 was $0.43-0.46/lb depending on protein level. Both of these are on the high side due to no volume discount & 60 terms (no fast payment discounts). Some high volume feed farms did get their shrimp feed for under $0.40/lb with precontracted volume discounts, but most farms paid the higher prices with the lower volumes.

Crawfish: Estimated 20 producers in Texas, 1,500 acres, 800,000 lbs./yr. production. As for crawfish - one of our farmers said that indeed bait SHOULD be considered feed since small crawfish enter the traps at will and frequently consume/disperse the bait before the larger animals find it. He said bait costs vs.

production costs vary considerably year-to-year, but he thinks that 30% would be a pretty good guess as to how much of the production cost bait really represents on his farm. He didn’t refer to % of total costs that feed represents, but production costs. So this is still a point of confusion.

The price of the bait/feed is currently $12.99/50 lb bag, or $519.60/ton. He could not give a 5 year average cost of feed.

From another source in East Texas, many use rice stubble which really does not cost and others add old bales of hay- again minimum cost. There are several producers whom actually plant rice as forage for their crawfish. That costs about $700/ acre to plant and grow. Crawfish bait cost in the East Texas area ranges from $12 -$17 for 50 pounds. There are a number of rice producers in East Texas whom are sub leasing small areas ( 50 ac and less) to individuals for crawfish production. However, there was some pond loss to salt surge from hurricanes and some loss due to lack of water available to flood ponds. These farms probably returned in 2010, just did not have production in 2009. Exact amount lost unknown, as many farmers were able to move their operations north.

Catfish: Catfish feed accounts for at least 40% of the total costs and 50 to 60% of production costs. Price of 32% Protien Floating Catfish Feed1 Year $/ton 2003 $236 2004 $270 2005 $233 2006 $255 2007 $289 Average (03-07) $257 Average 2008 $390 % Increase ’03 vs ‘08 66% % Increase av. ‘03-’07 vs. ‘08 51.7%

Price of 28% Protien Floating Catfish Feed2 Year $/ton 2003 $227 2004 $260 2005 $224 2006 $241 2007 $277 Average (03-07) $246 Average 2008 $374

% Increase ’03 vs ‘08 66% % Increase av. ‘03-’07 vs. ‘08 52%

1 Hanson, Terry and Dave Stiles. 2009. 2008 U.S. Catfish Database. Mississippi State University AEC Information Report 2009-01. Page 29. 2 Hanson, Terry and Dave Stiles. 2009. 2008 U.S. Catfish Database. Mississippi State University AEC Information Report 2009-01. Page 31.

The 2010 estimated price of 28% protein floating catfish feed was between $330 and

$350/ton delivered, and 32% is $350 to $370/ton delivered. Prices are negotiable, so it depends upon the quantities ordered. According to Peter Woods (TAE, Bay City) the

2011 price is $400 per ton.

Average Farm-gate Prices for Finfish and Crustaceans – ( Price paid to or by

Texas producers in the past, and current prices if known.

Channel Catfish Price/lb.

 Fingerlings __up to US$0.50 each for 5 to 6 inch fish____  Food Fish _low reached was $0.53/lb in 2003 but climbed to $0.69/lb in 2004. However farmers paid for ice so their actual price received was around $0.64 to $0.65/lb. in 2004. In 2005 the average price paid to producers was up in the $0.70/lb range and in 2006 $0.80/lb was seen. 2007 price remained about $0.80/lb. part of the year and began to drop to about $0.65-0.70/lb. the later part of the year. 2008 price was about $0.80/lb., and 2009 and 2010 was less (around US$0.76/lb), and in 2011 it was back up averaging $0.80/lb. In late 2011 and 2012 the farm- gate price for catfish was $1.20 to $1.25/lb.  FCR for catfish ranges 2.4:1 to 2.9:1.

Striped Bass Price/lb.

 Fingerlings Available in Ark. and Miss. and are around $0.25-0.45 ea.  Broodfish No hatcheries in Texas.  Food Fish $2.35-2.75/lb for whole fish in bulk (not current price).  FCR for hybrid striped bass is over 2:1 and is estimated at 2.6:1 or in the same range catfish is (2.4:1 to 2.9:1).

Red Fish Price/lb.

 Fingerlings ___4 farms in Texas produce their own._If available would be at least $0.25/ea. _  Broodfish _Obtained from the wild with permit and hard to put a price on fish. Brood collection permits are obtained from TPWD.  Food Fish 2008 price quote $2.40/lb. F.O.B. farm for whole fish on ice. $6.95/lb fillets Austin distributor from Seaside Aqua. $8.85/lb for fillets delivered on ice in Texas from Lonestar Aquafarms, Palacios.  2009 farm gate price was $2.78/lb, whole on ice at farm with some sorting done to separate various sizes according to customers needs, and one farm was getting $3.15/lb because it could supply fish year-round to restaurants in 2010. The price in 2012 is somewhere around $3.00/lb.

 FCR for redfish is 2:1

Tilapia (Red) Price/lb. Food Fish_- high was $1.85/lb after a low of $1.10/lb in 2004 and is back up over $2.00/b for live fish delivered to Houston in 2008, and $2.10/lb in 2010. According to Dr. David Stephens, American Fish Farms, Arroyo City, their price received for tilapia delivered to Houston in 2010 is $2.70- $2.75/lb. FCR for tilapia is 2:1.

Crustacean Price/lb.

 Marine shrimp averaged $2.00/lb, but the larger sizes brought more. Wholesale or farm-gate prices were generally as follows: 10 gram shrimp with head on brought $1.00/lb; 15 gram shrimp brought $1.50; 20 gram shrimp $2.00/lb; 30 gram shrimp $3.00/lb. 2007 price quote: $4.00/lb for tails in 5 lb boxes. 36-40s. According to Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan (TPWD Brownsville) the average farm-gate price received in 2009 was $2.10/lb (3,286,825 lbs worth $6,902,333 for the state in 2009) and in 2011 and 2012 the average price received was $2.40/lb, according to TPWD. Size determines the price per pound. The larger shrimp bring $3.00/lb, plus an extra $0.25/lb can be charged for fresh shrimp.  Crawfish farm-gate prices averaged $1.20 to $1.25/lb in 2007 and 2008, and have stayed pretty close to that since.  FCR for marine shrimp is 1.8:1, under good feed management.

Retail Prices of Farm-raised shrimp and catfish from Bowers Shrimp and Catfish are as follows:

Bowers Shrimp & Fish 24781 SH 35 S., Palacios, TX 77465 (361) 972-2414 phone (361) 972-2422 fax www.bowershrimp.com

FARM -RAISED FARM-RAISED

SHRIMP USA CATFISH

Texmar Shrimp FILLETS Product of Belize Fresh Frozen 2-3 oz $3.00 $2.75 Headless Block Frozen 10/5# 3-5 oz $3.00 26/30 ct. $3.50 $2.70 21/25 ct. $4.15 5-7 oz $3.00 Bowers Shrimp $2.60 Product of USA 7-9 oz $2.85 $2.50 Head-on IQF 9-11 oz $2.70 16/20 ct. $2.95 $2.30 21/25 ct. $2.20

26/30 ct. $2.05 Fresh Whole Gutted

31/35 ct. $2.00 1-2 pound $1.15 30/40 kilo count $3.05 2-3 pound $1.15 40/50 kilo count $2.40 3+ pound $1.15 50/60 kilo count $2.25 60/70 kilo count $2.15 Fresh Whole Dressed 70/80 kilo count $2.00

Head-on IQF #2 15-17 oz $2.05 16/20 ct. #2 $2.85 16-20 oz $2.05 21/25 ct. #2 $2.15 16-28 oz $2.00 26/30 ct. #2 $1.80 24-32 oz $1.95 31/35 ct. #2 $1.80 32-40 oz $1.95 36/40 ct. #2 $1.75 40+ oz $1.95 Tails Medium #2 IQF $3.25 Sales: 361-972-2414 Terry Miller [email protected]

Family-owned and operated since 1989, Bowers Shrimp & Fish sells premium quality farm-raised Pacific White shrimp and Texas farm-raised catfish. All products are taken directly from the farm to our processing facility where they are immediately processed, packaged and stored to ensure quality.

Bowers Catfish Plant

After 4 years of planning, permitting, legal battles, and construction, the Bowers Catfish Plant held its grand opening on Friday July 17, 2009 and they processed their first catfish on Monday July 21st. Mr. Paul Barrett came out of retirement in Mississippi to assist the Bowers Family with the plant start-up. The 10,000 sq. ft. plant is located at 21201 Hwy. 35 in Palacios, can process up to 200,000 lbs. of fish per day, and will employ 60 full time personnel.

The state-of-the-art plant is equipped with fish receiving dock where the fish haul truck enters the plant on a slight incline to assist with fish off-loading. The live fish then go into one of 5 chill tanks, which helps slow the fish down and may also help them taste better by eliminating any off-flavor. The plant is equipped

with 3 automatic fillet machines, a and gut line, and has cold storage for 750,000 lbs.

Catfish

Catfish farming continued to generate interest, especially in the central coast counties of Texas, until 2008, when the economy turned down, fuel and feed prices went up and profits went down. Feed jumped an average of 25% in 2008, but has come down some since. Production as high as 13,200 lbs. per acre for a 14-month growout have been reported, but the average production has been 8,000 lbs. per acre for 14 to 16 month growout. USA industry average catfish production is about 4,700 lbs/ac. According to Mr. Peter Woods and Dr. Michael Masser of Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas does seem to produce more pounds of fish/acre/year than does the rest of the country, though there is starting to be some doubt it is really 8,000 lb/acre/year in Texas. Woods suspects that when those data were collected, the 'per acre per 12 months' was not stressed enough. Therefore Woods suspects Texas production may be a little less than that, though only by 10-15 %. Further, Woods says the higher production numbers are due to 1) warmer winters (proximity to the Gulf's relatively warm water) and cooler summers due to the same Gulf breezes over a relatively cooler Gulf, and 2) our longer growing season due to a more southerly latitude and those same Gulf breezes. According to Woods, one other possible factor is that while Mississippi has mostly very large farms frequently managed by hired managers, Texas has relatively small owner managed farms. Farm owners tend to take better care of the farm (money) than hired help do. Additionally, ponds on a small farm can be managed on a pond-by-pond basis, while ponds on a large farm tend to be treated as a single unit - all ponds getting the same treatment.

The Catfish Association of Texas (a non-profit trade organization) and the Texas Aquaculture Cooperative (TAC, a private business) got together and formed cooperative processing in 2002 and they began processing fish in a borrowed building (courtesy of Bowers Shrimp) in Palacios, Texas, before building their own facility in Markham. Prices of fish sold in 2002 and early 2003 were very low, averaging $0.53/lb, but rose to $0.62/lb in late 2003, $0.69/lb in 2004. Prices paid to the farmer by the plant were running $0.65 to $0.69/lb in 2005, but the farmer had to pay for ice and transport, so the amount the farmer actually received for the product was around $0.60 to $0.64/lb. Farm gate prices for catfish in Texas actually went up to US$0.80/lb for awhile in ’06 to ’07, before they started to drop again. In 2003, catfish production in Texas was estimated at 9.52 million pounds worth $US 5,035,000. There was an estimated 14 million pounds of catfish inventory in ponds carried over to 2003 (personal communication, Peter Woods, Bay City, Texas AgriLife Extension. The commercial producers whom were members of the TAC had approximately 1,200 member-acres (personal communication Loy Sneary, Bay City, April, 2004). The

TAC production for 2004 was estimated at 10,680,000 lbs, worth $6.4 million to the farmers, plus an estimated 200 other acres from East Texas (produced an estimated 3,500 to 4,500 lbs/ac. or total of 800,000/yr), bringing the production for catfish in Texas in 2004 to 11,480,000 pounds worth $6,888,000. There were an estimated 1,600 acres of catfish in Texas in 2003, and there were an additional 300 acres constructed and stocked in 2004. A total of 1,900 acres of catfish ponds existed in 2005. The TAC added an Individual Quick Freezer (IQF) in 2004 and added an automatic filet machine in 2005. After several reorganizations the TAC was taken over by a private group in 2009, directed by Steve Klingaman. The plant closed again and according to Peter Woods, Jan. 2011 it is to re-open again as a shrimp and oyster processing plant, but this has not happened as of yet in 2012.

Bowers put a new catfish hatchery in the state in 2005, and overall estimated catfish production in Texas was 14,000,000 pounds worth an estimated $9,100,000 in 2005; 20 million pounds worth $16M in 2006; and 24 million pounds worth $19.2 million in 2007. However, according to USDA aquaculture survey of 2009, with 2007 harvest data, Texas had 159 farms that produced 14,731,000 lbs, worth $12,123,000; however they only had 122 farms respond to their 2007 census, published in 2009.

Peter Woods, with Texas AgriLife Extension says, “Catfish remained the largest aquaculture crop in Texas in 2008 with an estimated production of 28 million pounds produced on 3,500 surface acres of water. Most of that area, about 3,000 acres, is in the Coastal Bend, and the remainder is in upper East Texas. The value of the fish remained relatively constant at $0.80/lb live weight for a total value of approximately $22.4 million. Entry and exit of the industry balanced out with little-or-no change in total acreage under water from 2007 levels.” Production in 2010 dropped as did the acreage (3,000 acres and 20 million pounds, worth $16 million). The growing season in South Texas is at least 90 days longer than it is in Mississippi. However, Texas only has one commercial quantity catfish fingerling producer and most of the seed stock still comes from Arkansas and other states. Markets continue to be challenging and off-flavor in catfish is often problematic. The disease referred to “Hamburger Gill” was also seen in the state.

Texas Catfish Production and Farms in Texas Compiled by Granvil Treece, Texas A&M University

According to the USDA 2009 census of aquaculture (using 2007 data) US catfish production for 2007 was valued at $455,378,000 from 1,725 farms. According to USDA census, in 2007, Mississippi was the state with the largest number of catfish farms (451), Alabama had 268 farms, Arkansas had 166, and Texas had 159 catfish farms in 2007, producing 14,731,000 lbs. worth $12,123,000 in Texas, which would cause an economic impact of $36,369,000 to the Texas state economy. The number of producers in Texas (according to USDA was 159 in 2007) may not necessarily agree with the number estimated by local state extension personnel. Local state extension personnel estimate 45 producers on 3,500 acres in Texas, producing 28 million pounds of catfish in 2008 and 2009, worth $22.4 million (personal communication with Peter Woods, Fisheries Specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension, Bay City, 2010). There were 3 processors, which dropped to two plants when the Coop plant closed. In 2010, 40 producers on 3,000 acres produced 20 million pounds and in 2011 an estimated 30 catfish producers on 2,160 acres produced 14.4 million pounds worth $14.4 million. The same number of producers and farms continue to produce in Texas in 2012.

This may not necessarily agree with what the Texas Dept. of Agriculture reports for catfish farms and production in Texas. The TDA report for 2008 is as follows:

Catfish Production in Texas

In Dec. 2009, Peter Woods, Fisheries Specialist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Bay City, stated, “I don't know that anything has changed in the past couple of years as far as production is concerned. There has been talk, of course, of people exiting the business. At least one farmer has told me that the financial risk of is just too high to risk the futures of his kids, and another is very worried about LCRA's apparent disregard for the industry evidenced by its plan to increase the price of an acre-foot of water from $25 to $138 saying fish farming use is industrial rather than agricultural. Few farmers are in a position to put in a well large enough to supply their needs nor can they absorb a five-fold increase in water costs. Since GBRA has yet to announce any similar plans, the Calhoun County folks are OK for now, at least from a water standpoint. However, as you know the Coop went belly-up and the processing plant is being leased by a bio technology company with the hopes of acquisition this year. Bowers opened their plant with a capability of running 3 automatic filet lines, so, assuming the industry survives the assault by low-priced imports and high feed prices long enough for USDA to come into the picture with its oversight responsibilities, an increased demand for product could lead to production growth in the foreseeable future.

1) Number of producers – in 2009 we had about 45 total producers in Texas with the majority located here in the Coastal Bend and the rest up in East Texas along the Red River. 2) Number of ponds - that's a little tougher, but I would estimate there to be an average of 8 ponds per producer giving us around 360. Again, that's an estimate. We have one producer with more than 100 ponds spread over 3 farms, but we have quite a few with just 1 or 2 ponds as well. 3) Acres/pond - most ponds are in the 8-10 acre range - there are a few producers with 5 or 6 acre ponds, but not many with anything much larger than 10 or 11. Pond size is usually dictated by manageability and topography. 4) Total Acres - I think we have about 3500 surface acres of water dedicated to catfish in the state. 5) Number of processors - We have 3 full-time processors and one part-time in Texas. The full-time operations are located in Hughs Springs (up in East Texas), Palacios, and Markham. The part-time processor is in the Kemah/Seabrook area.

40 producers in 2010, 3,000 acres, 20 million pounds, worth $16 million. 30 producers in 2011, 2,160 acres, 14.4 million pounds, worth $14.4 million.

Texas catfish information source: Peter Woods, Extension Fisheries Program Specialist Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Bay City, TX 77414. Tel. 979-245-4100

Google Earth Photo of Bowers Catfish farm west of Danevang.

Bower’s Catfish, southwest of Palacios off Well Point Road

Charlie Chan’s Austwell Aqua Farm, (catfish) near Austwell and Aransas Wildlife Refuge.

Feed manufacturing and sales is big business in Texas. Rangen Feeds has an aquaculture feed plant in Angleton, Texas, but there are other companies outside Texas that sell to the market, such as Zeigler Feeds of PA. and Burris Feeds in La., which is owned by Cargill/Nutrina.

Aquaculture Feed Companies That Serve Texas

1. ARKAT Nutrition. Arkansas. Reed Breedlove. Tel. (870) 355-2220. Email: [email protected]. 2. Cargill/Animal Nutrition. David Hines Senior Consultant Burris Aquaculture / Cargill Animal Nutrition. Tel. Office (979) 345-4853. Fax (985) 839-3404 Cell (713) 899-9979. Plant (985) 839-3400. Toll free (800) 928-2782 E-mail: [email protected]. 3. Melick Aquafeed,llc. 880 82W Greenville Mississippi, 38701 Roy Reich. Toll Free 800-358-6595, Tel. 662-390-9984. Cell 570-854-5304. 4. Rangen Feeds. Angleton, Texas. Randel Ethredge. Cell (210) 241-8026. Email: . 5. Zeigler Feeds. Gardeners, PA. Cheryl Shew, Global Shrimp Sales Specialist Zeigler Bros. Inc. Tel: 717-677-6181 ext. 325. 717-677-3004 direct line Cell 717-968-6912. Fax: 717-677-6826 Email: [email protected].

There were 44,000 tons or 88,000,000 million pounds of aquaculture feed sold in Texas in 2007, according to an estimation from production and using an average of 2:1 FCR, and also from feed sales requested by TDA of each of the major aquaculture feed mills supplying Texas aquaculture. The Texas Dept. of Agriculture (Jason Fenton, Federal Liasion Officer for TDA) gathered this information for the USDA feed assistance program. It was learned that FCRs vary highly among species. For example: average catfish FCR is 2.4 to 2.9; tilapia 2:1; red drum 2:1; hybrid striped bass 2.6 and higher; shrimp 1.8.

Most of the catfish fingerlings come from out of state. However, Harold Bowers owns a catfish hatchery in the Wharton/Matagorda County area and processing plant in Palacios.

Catfish brood are placed in ponds at a ratio of 3 females to every one male. Milk cans (like the one in the photo below) or similar containers that provide a hiding place for the fish to make a nest are placed in the pond.

Females in the can and males fertilize the eggs. The eggs are collected every 3 or 4 days by hand. Males are sometimes aggressive and bite the collector’s hand. Eggs are incubated in hatching tanks with little to no aeration, but most often a gentle paddlewheel is used which would simulate the male’s tale fanning the egg bed. The eggs usually hatch in 3 days at 28 degrees C and usually hatch in less than a week, even at lower temperatures. Most hatcheries feed all dry diets with no microencapsulated feeds, and then the fingerlings spend about 2 weeks in the hatching tank or trough before being transferred to a fertilized pond. There is a fungus that can occur in the hatchery that attacks the eggs and young fish. Formalin can be used to treat the fungus.

Catfish fingerlings are costing up to US$0.50 each for 5 to 6 inch fingerlings. One out-of-state hatchery was offering these prices in 2008 with 100 fish minimum sale and this included the fish being live-hauled to Brenham, Texas for pickup:

4-6 inch $35/100; 6-8 inch $55/100; and 8-11 inch $89/100.

Catfish fingerlings can be seined and moved from one pond to others; although it is not as commonly practiced with catfish as it is in the red drum industry. Usually it’s a catfish farm with its own hatchery that has over-stocked fingerlings in one pond that needs to divide them up into other growout ponds. However, most farms purchase fingerlings and stock a pond with from 1,000 fish to 6,000 fish per acre and do not move the fish until final harvest.

Catfish are seined-harvested, weighed in baskets, and removed from the pond in baskets.

Booms are used to load the harvested fish for transport to processing. (photos from a harvest at Steve Klingaman’s farm by Michael Masser and Peter Woods)

Subsamples of the fish are usually sampled and tasted raw in the ponds for any off-flavor. This is generally done at least 3 weeks before harvest, two weeks before harvest, then again the day before harvest. If off-flavor is detected the harvest may be postponed and fish are left in the ponds and steps are taken to eliminate the off-flavor, by flushing the ponds. Fish are generally not fed before harvest so that ammonia levels will be lower in the hauling truck, which can kill fish rapidly. Fish are seine-harvested and booms are used to move the fish baskets to the hauling truck, which has large doors on the top of individual hauling tanks. Each tank is usually equipped with baffles to limit water movement and equipped with aeration or even pure oxygen if the transport is a long one.

Transport of fish is usually done with the fish live to the processing plant in hauling trucks. More details of methods of live fish hauling can be obtained in a publication by Gary Jensen, SRAC Publ No. 390, “ Transportation of Warmwater Fish, Equipment and Guidelines”, SRAC, June, 1990. Another good publication is from FAO, “ The Transport of Live Fish. A Review”, www.fao.org. (31 pages), and “ Chemical Methods for Water and Fish Treatment During Transport” (5 pages).

Water is not drained from the catfish pond since the fish are seine-harvested. The pond water is reused, sometimes for a number of years, until it becomes too dirty to clean.

At the processing plant, fish are off-loaded from the hauling truck usually by gravity flow from the trap doors in the bottom of the hauling tank, through water shuts and to a chill tank. Fish are held in chill tanks usually for a few hours, but it can be up to several days to a week. If an off-flavor is detected, this chill tank can often help. Other more carnivorous fish such as hybrid striped bass and red drum would eat each other, but catfish are more forgiving. Some mortality is expected the longer the fish are held. The chill tank, at 18 to 20 degree C, acts to slow the fish down and keeps them from jumping so much. Some plants use an electrical current to stun fish so that they will be easier and safer for the workers to handle the fish. The fish generally go through de-heading, evisceration, skinning, chilling, size grading, automatic filleting, freezing and packaging, then warehousing.

Nitrogen IQF is generally used to freeze catfish or the fillets are put on ice for the fresh market. Bowers plant can processing 20,000 lbs./day. The Coop plant can process 100,000 lbs/week and some of the larger plants in Mississippi can process over 100,000 lbs/day. Silva, et. al. 2001, “Processing Channel Catfish”, SRAC Pub. No. 183, is a good publication for more details on processing.

The average catfish is harvested after 14 to 18 months and ranges between 1.5 lbs and 3 lbs each (photo from M. Masser).

Filleting Channel catfish and fillets on ice. (Photos from M. Masser, P. Woods and the Catfish Institute web site)

Catfish nuggets ($1.69/lb), catfish fillets ($3.69/lb) and catfish belly strips ($2.99/lb) are offered at a Seafood Market in Corpus Christi. Also on the same counter is Basa catfish fillets, imported from Viet Nam for $4.99/lb.

Catfish fillets can be packaged for retail sales and frozen (Catfish Institute).

Catfish dishes and nutritional information from Catfish Institute, Delta Pride and Catfish.com.

The big challenges in the catfish industry are:  Commodity market and competing with imports  Fungus that occurs in the hatchery  “Hamburger gill” which is a disease in growout  Ammonia toxicity in fish transport  Keeping O2 at saturation level in the hatchery  Toxic algae (Golden Algae, Dinoflagulates, Blue Green Algae)  Off-flavor  High cost of feed  High cost of power  Threat of increasing water costs and availability  Marketing- whether to sell fresh or add value and sell for higher price  Packaging- offer something different to attract customers

Catfish fry

Catfish Processing Plant

Water monitoring system

Hybrid Striped Bass

There were 5 hybrid striped bass operators in Texas in 2008 on approximately 1,200 acres with an estimated 4 million pounds of production annually. The farm-gate price for whole fish was approximately $1.75/lb in 2004, but has increased to $2.35/lb for whole fish in bulk in 2008, and has increased again in 2009 and 2010 because of high feed costs. One producer has now expanded to 1,000 acres of ponds and produces 2.5 million pounds a year and continues to expand.

Hybrid striped bass on ice (below)

Hybrid striped bass harvest in 5-acre pond, using seine and fish auger

Aerial of the first farm built by Silver Streak Bass Company (aerial by Glen Frels)

Recreational fishing (photos from Jim Ekstrom and fish from Silver Streak stocks)

With its expansion to 850 acres of ponds, Silver Streak Bass Company was considered the second largest hybrid striped bass farm in the USA, owned by Jim Ekstrom. Then in 2009 Kent Sea Farms in California got out of the HSB business, leaving Silver Streak Bass Company as the largest farm in the USA. Silver Streak now has 1,000 acres in ponds and a state-of-the-art fish sorting and packing plant in El Campo which follows the FDA HACCP protocol. Silver Streak also provides recreational fish stocks. Jim Ekstrom’s Silver Streak Bass Company employs 35 workers with an approximate $1million payroll. The water source for the farm is from rural water wells. It takes about two years to grow fish to average of 3 pounds. www.silverstreakbass.com

44% of total cost is feed, and 68% of the production cost. The average feed cost from 2005 to 2009 was $643/ton or $0.32/lb. HSB feed average cost for 2003- 2007 was $.275/lb or $550/ton. HSB feed in 2008 was $0.38/lb or $774/ton, a $224/ton increase over ’03-’07 average or a 40.6% increase. FCR for hybrid striped bass is high (above 2.6:1 and comparable with catfish FCRs).

Silver Streak Bass Co. state-of-the-art fish sorting and packing plant, located in the Business Park off Hwy. 59 in El Campo, Texas operates using FDA’s HACCP protocol.

Waxed box with fish and shaved ice

Fish are sold all over the USA, fresh, packed in ice

All above photos from Silver Streak Bass Company’s brochure.

Google Earth photo of Silver Streak Bass Company’s 1,500 acres of land and approximately 1,000 acres of ponds East of Danevang.

Hybrid striped bass fillets can be air freighted anywhere in the USA for about $0.50/lb. freight charge. In 2002, striped bass fillets were selling for $6.50/lb, plus air-freight. Freight charges have no doubt increased with increased fuel costs, but this was the last estimate given. Generally, most open pond production facilities for hybrid striped bass produce in the range of 3,000 to 3,500 lbs per acre and it takes longer than a year to get the fish to grow to market size. The price obtained for fish is generally over $2.50/lb and production cost is over $2.00/lb., however, it is very difficult to obtain accurate wholesale prices since farms are very protective of that information.

Hybrid striped bass tolerate freezing temperatures, but grow more rapidly at higher temperatures. They grow best in freshwater, but can withstand salinities up to 45ppt. There is a strong Asian market in the US for this fish, and many are shipped to California markets if markets in Houston and Austin do not need fish. Fish are sold all over the US.

Harvest size hybrid striped bass (photo from M. Masser)

Red Drum in Texas 2011-2012

Some coastal shrimp farms converted to hybrid striped bass production and some to redfish production in an attempt to diversify. There were 4 hybrid striped bass producers in 2010 on approximately 1,800 acres in the state, with an estimated production of 3.5 million pounds of fish annually, worth $9.4 million according to Jim Ekstrom 12/10/10 and according to Ekstrom (personal communication 2012) these numbers remained about the same in Texas. One of the shrimp farms shifted most of its production to red fish in 2008. There were five commercial red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) facilities on the Texas coast in 2008 to 2010 producing fish with a production capacity of 710 surface acres (600 ac. growout). However, some of ponds were not stocked and about 30% of the ponds are for fingerling production. The product totaled an estimated 2 to 2.5 million pounds in 2010, worth $US 6,950,000, depending upon whom you talk to in the industry. Jim Ekstrom estimated 2.5 million pounds of red drum for the state in 2010, and updated that production estimate to 3.25 million pounds for 2011 (personal communication with Jim Ekstrom, 2012. In 2010 and 2011 some of the farms said they had fish backed up and couldn’t sell them because of the

BP oil blowout affecting the tourist trade on the Gulf. Since the BP incident caused a slow sales year, the numbers in 2010 don’t reflect a good production model for the state. 2011 was better with 3.25 million pounds produced, even though there were some fish killed by a late winter cold snap in 2011. Matt Benner in Port Lavaca said they produced 350,000 lbs of redfish in 2010. He predicted their farm would grow fish in 120 acres in 2011 and produce 5,500 lbs/ac or 660,000 lbs of fish in 2011. Seaside Aquaculture, the oldest red drum farm in Palacios, has 205 total acres in culture (175 acres in growout ponds and 30 acres in fingerling ponds). The industry average production in 2007 -2009 was 10,000 lbs./ac., but this was not per year, since it takes longer than 12 months to raise redfish to 3 pounds in size. 6,000 lbs/ac is more of an industry average for red drum production in Texas. The farms raised their farm gate price in 2008 from $2.30/lb to $2.40/lb. and the price in 2009 was $2.78/lb farm gate, whole fish on ice at the farm. Much of their product is sold whole on ice in the Houston and Austin markets (personal communication with Dr. David Dunseth, manager at Seaside Aquaculture in Palacios, March, 2008, and retired in Jan. 2009). Two shrimp farms converted to red drum culture. Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd. in Bayview converted part of its shrimp hatchery to a red drum hatchery in 2006 and had their first fish produced in 2009. They produced about 300,000 lbs of shrimp on 157 acres in 2010, but the redfish totals were not available. Their best production of redfish was 14,000 lbs per acre over an 18 to 24 month growout. HSF harvested their last two redfish ponds in April 2011 and said that they were not planning to restock unless a new ownership occurred. They maintained one tank of red drum, just in case they needed to start fish production again. A joint venture between HSF and Aqua Ventures Alliance of Iowa in the summer of 2011 produced 285,000 lbs of shrimp from 127 acres, but no red drum were stocked in 2011. The HSF farm was purchased by KAAPA Aqua Ventures Alliance (KAVA) in 2012 and their plan is to continue to raise marine shrimp and red drum. R&G Shrimp Co. in Port Lavaca dropped marine shrimp culture and tried hybrid striped bass in 2006 and 2007 and shifted to red drum in 2007 on the 200-acre farm outside Port Lavaca, but only stocked a portion of that. R&G also has a red drum hatchery and is selling red drum fry and fingerlings. They still have a pond or two in hybrid striped bass, but appears to be concentrating on red drum culture in 2011, as stated above on 120 acres of fish ponds. They are selling red drum to Ekstrom Enterprises plant in El Campo, which is marketing the fish under the Copper Shoals brand. There is a new red drum farm outside Palacios, near the airport, which is inland. This is a small operation with several ponds and a 20 feet diameter circular tank, located on turtle creek. Mr. Nassir Kreshy is the owner of this growing farm which started in 2008. Nassir worked with Dr. Connie Arnold at UTMSI/FAML in Port Aransas before Connie retired. Nassir worked at the redfish farm in Bacliff (HarvestFresh Seafood) before it closed and he was in the Caribbean raising red drum a few years before returning to Palacios to build his own farm. In speaking to Nassir, he informed me that he was successful in

getting additional financing and will be expanding operations. New financing was obtained to enable expansion of the farm and new ponds were seen along Highway 35 in 2011 and 2012.

Lonestar Aquafarms, Ltd. was a 200 acre redfish farm outside Palacios, and was managed and partially owned by John Turner. According to Turner, it produced about 25,000 lbs. of whole redfish per week when operations were going well. Turner sold his percentage of the farm to the major share holders (Appling Farms and Appling Interests, Ltd.), and Ekstrom Enterprises assumed the management of the farm in 2011.

(Redfish Hatchery and Implement/Sorting Building in Jackson County)

Aerial of farm outside Palacios in Jackson County

R&G Port Lavaca, 2009 (below) R&G Port Lavaca, 2010

Seaside Aquaculture and Perry R. Bass Marine R&D (TPWD) 2010 below – red drum

In earlier years producers averaged between 6,500 to 7,000 lbs. per acre, up to 8,500 lbs./ac. But more recently the average producer is able to generate almost 10,000 lbs of fish per acre per year. It takes between 18 to 24 months to grow red drum to market size. The breakeven price for producers has been around 3,500 lbs. per acre, but has increased more recently due to fuel and feed cost increases.

Dr. David Dunseth, Manager Seaside Aquaculture for many years and is now retired, stated that in 2008 he had no major problems on their redfish farm. Toxic algae is still a small problem, but he said it seemed to hit the new ponds more than the older "seasoned" ponds. Their farm-gate fish prices are seemingly keeping pace with the inflationary production costs, and they are passing a rate increase on to customers in April 2009 (from $2.30/lb to $2.40/lb) and he said customers understand the need to do so. He said that they seem to have the diseases and parasites under control. The farm-gate price went up to $2.78/lb in 2009, and one of the state’s newer farms was actually getting $3.15/lb for whole red fish on a consistent basis because they could offer 25,000 lbs. of product year-round. Most of the red drum produced in Texas are being marketing by Ekstrom Enterprises in El Campo, under the Copper Shoels trade name.

Seining redfish fingerlings, and Dr. David Dunseth at Seaside Aquaculture in Palacios weighing fingerlings for transfer to growout pond

Red drum will freeze in shallow ponds so producers provide the fish with a thermal refuge in one section of the pond, which is smaller, and warmer ground water is pumped on top of the salt water to provide a blanket or thermal barrier to help fish survive colder temperatures. There were some fish lost in the Palacios area in 2011 due to cold weather (personal communication with David Maus)

Thermal refuse for fish with groundwater inlet.

1.5 to 3 pound red drum is the preferred harvest size (photo Michael Masser), for a fillet that fits on a plate.

In 2008 a spokesperson for one of the redfish farms in Palacios said the most immediate problem is mortality associated with toxic algae and dinoflagellate blooms in the ponds. “We have identified several of the problem species, but there is much to know about this problem. I know of several fish farms that have closed down because of this problem. As more fish are produced in former shrimp ponds, I suspect we will hear a lot more about this problem. Of course, we have the problem of high and ever increasing operating costs. I'm afraid that if we are unable to substitute more affordable proteins for fishmeal in our feeds, redfish farming will eventually be non- economic. We need nutrition studies directed at protein substitution specifically for red drum. One way to compensate for increasing production costs is to increase the market price. That is not easily done with redfish in traditional markets because of downward price pressure from seasonally available fish. If we were able to make claims of an all-natural or organically grown product, we could separate ourselves from the competition and demand a higher price. Unfortunately, there are no standards by which our products can be measured making these claims impossible to make regardless of the quality of our fish.” There was a toxic algae outbreak in red drum ponds in 2009 at most of the farms. The first part of the year the state was in drought conditions, as it had been most of 2008. The drought continued through 2011, and the lingering problem of toxic blooms also stayed. Even red threatened the Texas producers, but the rains in 2012 may help this situation. Several of the red drum producers worked with a phycologist at TAMU Corpus Christi (Dr. Paul Zimba) to identify the toxic algae and then lower the water level in ponds and added fresh water in an attempt to move the salinity out of the optimum growing range for that species of toxic algae. To my knowledge, this is the first time this method or technology has been tried in an attempt to control toxic algae. In the past, farms have tried flushing ponds to lower the numbers of the toxic algae, or have used potassium permanganate. In 2010 the BP oil spill negatively affected the tourist trade along the Gulf of Mexico from Louisiana to Florida, and hotels and restaurants stopped buying red drum. Many of the Texas farms had fish in the ponds and could not sell them or had difficulty selling them. When the markets improved the fish were oversized (some larger than 4 pounds). There was also much negative publicity about tainted seafood from the Gulf which affected the markets. The market improved again in 2011 and things seem to be back to normal in 2012. In addition to food fish production in the state, red drum are produced using aquaculture techniques for fee fishing by private farms and for wild stock enhancement purposes by the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) at coastal hatcheries in Palacios, Lake Jackson and Corpus Christi. Some Texas commercial producers donated half-pound to three quarter pound redfish to TPWD, for stock enhancement of recreational fisheries at inland power plant lakes, where red drum are stocked into fresh water for recreational purposes.

Fish were stocked by TPWD into Lake Fairfield in East Texas and into Lake Calevaras and Lake Braunig outside San Antonio. Combined the CCA/ TPWD hatcheries stock approximately 12 million red drum fingerlings into Texas bays annually utilizing aquaculture techniques and have more recently started stock enhancement programs in selected bays for and spotted sea trout.

Redfish are seine harvested and picked up by fish auger.

Fish are counted and put into fish transport trailers.

Fish transfer to TPWD using fish hauling trailers

Red Drum from Lake Fairfield, stocked by TPWD

TPWD’s Perry R. Bass Marine Finfish Research Facility in Palacios

Red drum normally produced at TPWD’s CCA Marine Development Center in Flour Bluff, at Perry R. Bass Marine Finfish Research Station on outside Palacios, and its sister facility, Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson, typically are only 1-1.5 inches long when they are harvested from the ponds and released into Texas’ bays and , for marine stock enhancement.

According to TPWD, to provide their ‘kid-fish’ ponds with redfish of fishable size, they often rely on outside donors.

See “kid-fish” photo below

Feed Silos at Seaside Aquaculture (red drum farm outside Palacios)

Jeff Vu, the owner at Seaside reported an excellent fingerling production from one small fingerling pond of 17,000 fish. Seaside generally harvests about 10,000 lbs of fish each Monday, sorts according to size if necessary, then sells to wholesaler whole on ice. The fish house, wholesaler or even restaurant picks the fish up at the farm. The farm generally does not deliver any fish.

Background on Red Drum Aquaculture in Texas

Sciaenops ocellatus is the second largest member of the drum family in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, reaching a maximum length of 1.5 m. The world record S. ocellatus weighs 42.7 kg. Only the black drum is larger. It is thought that the S. ocellatus can live at least 30 years. Sciaenops is Greek for perch-like marine fish and ocellatus is Latin for eye-like colored spot. In the 1950s and 1960s the US Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) - National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), conducted fisheries research in the Gulf of Mexico and expanded into marine finfish hatchery production in the late 1960s. One of the most published research facilities for S. ocellatus culture, having the largest impact on S. ocellatus aquaculture, was the NMFS laboratory in Port Aransas, Texas, directed by Dr Connie R. Arnold (now retired). In 1975 NMFS downsized its marine finfish research program and moved its personnel to Galveston. The laboratory in Port Aransas was leased to the University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in 1976. Dr. Arnold stayed on as the laboratory director for UTMSI and continued marine finfish research on a number of species including S. ocellatus. UTMSI personnel cooperated with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. (TPWD), another state agency with fisheries conservation and regulatory authority, and did joint research on S. ocellatus hatchery techniques. The red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) spawned for the first time in captivity using the same techniques developed by Arnold et al. (1978) earlier for S. ocellatus. Utilizing techniques developed for S. ocellatus (manipulations of photoperiod and temperature), other marine finfish life cycles were closed during the period to follow. The laboratory paved the way with its research to establish a viable S. ocellatus aquaculture industry in the Southern United States and established S. ocellatus and other marine finfish spawning and hatchery techniques, which were used for a stock enhancement program put into place on the Texas coast by TPWD. In 1969 the first state marine fish hatchery (Perry R. Bass Marine Finfish Research Station in Palacios, Texas) was established and TPWD started its S. ocellatus program in

1975. The personnel whom started that work, such as Dr Robert Colura and others, have since retired, but the research and stock enhancement work continues. A second marine hatchery (John Wilson Marine Finfish Hatchery) was built in the Corpus Christi area (Flour Bluff) in 1983, and TPWD began stocking selected bays in Texas with S. ocellatus to enhance the recreational fishery (a growing multimillion dollar industry in Texas then). There was a 14 million pound [6.35 million kg] per year wild harvest of S. ocellatus in the Gulf of Mexico in the late 1970s and early 1980s, much of which came from Texas and Louisiana waters. Partly as a result of a famous New Orleans chef’s (Paul Prudhomme) recipe for blackened redfish, a national awareness was created that increased the demand for this species. In 1981 TPWD began lobbying for closure of the redfish fishery. A ban on purse seining of S. ocellatus in Federal waters occurred in 1986, and in late 1989 the Texas Legislature passed a law prohibiting the sale of redfish unless it was farm raised. The law prohibiting the sale of wild-caught red fish in Texas went into effect on 30 December 1990. Texas was the first state to remove the S. ocellatus fishery from the Gulf by not allowing fishermen to take the fish with gill nets and trot-lines. Initially, limited amounts of S. ocellatus by-catch were allowed by shrimp boat nets, which were incidentally caught in shrimp nets. Since shrimp nets stay down for hours the fish were generally dead when the nets were brought up. Other US southern states followed the Texas lead and stopped the S. ocellatus fishery in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. One of the first commercial redfish hatcheries and farms in Texas was in the Rockport area, on the Stellman Ranch, encouraged by Red Ewald Fiberglass Company and Dr. Connie R. Arnold of UTMSI. Another early commercial hatchery was built by Preston Stoffer in Port O’Connor. These are photos of the elevated hatchery under construction in Port O’Connor in the late 1980’s:

The prices of S. ocellatus rose from US $2.20/kg (US$1.00/lb) to almost US $8.80/kg (US$4.00/lb), which encouraged the aquaculture development. Farm gate prices later settled and have generally followed the price of wild-caught red snapper (ranging from US $4.20 to 5.85/kg or US$1.90 to to 2.66/lb). The 2004 farm gate price is US $4.60/kg (US$2.09/lb), with no packaging or handling charges included, and in 2008 it is about $5.28/kg (US$2.40/lb). In recent years the farm gate price has been close the $3.00/lb.

The regulatory climate is still not conducive for the expansion of aquaculture in the USA, especially along the Texas coast. So most likely any expansion into red drum culture in Texas will come from existing shrimp farms that are already built and permitted by the state. A detailed 30 page report by Treece and Adami on red drum culture in Texas and can be found in CABI’s Aquaculture Compendium. Web link: http://www.cabi.org/compendia/ac/index.asp. Additional fact sheets on the biology and culture of red drum can be found at the SRAC web link http://srac.tamu.edu/. There will also be a marine finfish culture course offered by the Texas A&M University System, The University of Texas and cooperating commercial farms and research facilities in Texas on Sept. 26-Oct. 3, 2012. For more info. see: http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu/upcoming.html. http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu/Outreach/Short%20Course/sc2010.html.

Commonly Known Red Drum Farm Design Criteria and Technology

1. Fry and Fingerling/Nursery ponds are 1 to 2 acres in size. 2. 1:1 ratio Fry ponds to Fingerling ponds 3. Growout ponds 5 acres in size. 4. 15% nursery ponds to 85% growout ponds. 5. Hatchery has two 3,000 gallon fiberglass broodstock tanks. 6. Brood put on 150 day maturation cycle, Nov. to June. 7. When the temp. is 23 degrees C and light is 10 hrs/day, spawning starts. 8. 6 brood fish in each 3,000 gallon tank, 20‐ 30 lb each or 35 inch to 45 inch fish. 9. Male to Female ratio is 1:1. 10. Domesticated red fish will take 4 years to grow to brood size. 11. 3 lb fish takes 18 months, and 30 months to maturity. 12. Generally only discharge in growout ponds when conditions warrant or require it due to poor water quality or toxic algae. 13. Hatchery requires high salinity. It takes about 32 ppt to float the eggs. 14. Broodstock spawn for six months and eggs are harvested weekly. 15. 1 to 2 million eggs per week. 16. Eggs are incubated in 100-gallon tanks with 1‐ 2 liters/minute flow.

17. Eggs hatch in 24 hours at 28 degrees C. 18. Fry in 36 hours. 19. After another 12 hours pond water can be added at lower salinity. 20. Follow nursery routine published by TPWD at Perry R. Bass Marine Finfish Research Center in Palacios. 21. Feed trout starter and 1/16 inch feed to start. 22. Stock 400,000 fry/ac in nursery and water is filtered to 500 microns. 23. Stock 40,000 fingerlings/ac. (3,000 to 8,000 lbs/ac) 24. Stock 4,000 fish/ac. for growout to obtain 10,000 lb/ac yield. 25. 3 stage production (fry, fingerling, growout), with no fish grading. 26. Use 2.5 hp/ac aeration 27. 44/13 feed (US$0.41/lb). 28. Use sinking feed until Fry, then switch to floating feed. 29. Feed according to temperature (ie. If temp. is 50 to 59 degrees, only feed every other day; above 68 degree F use floating feed; below 68 degrees F use sinking feed.) 30. Current farm gate price for red drum is now $2.78/lb to $3.15/lb, whole on ice at the farm, and one farm that can produce fish year-round can demand $3.15/lb.

Marine Fish Hatcheries and Researchers in the USA (R&D government, university and commercial)

Wallace Jenkins South Carolina Wildlife & Marine Resources Department Tel. (843)953-9835

Jeffery Lotz Gulf Coast Research Lab Tel. (228) 872-4247

Chris Young Florida DNR [email protected] Tel. (941)723-4505

Ken Leber Florida Mote Marine Lab Tel. (941)388-4441

Robert Adami, Jr. Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. Natural Resource Specialist V 4300 Waldron Rd.

Corpus Christi, Texas 78418 Tel. (361)939-8745 TPWD also has hatcheries in Palacios (Perry R. Bass Marine Finfish Research) and Lake Jackson (Sea Center)

Jeff Kaiser UTMSI/FAML Port Aransas, Texas Tel. (361) 749-6827

Fritz Jaenike KAVA Farms Bayview, Texas Tel. (956)223-5723

Dr. Allen Davis Dept. of Fisheries and Allied Auburn University Alabama Auburn also does marine finfish research at the Claude Petite Research Facility

Dr. Daniel Benetti RSMAS/MAF University of Miami 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149. Tel. (305)421-4889 Email: [email protected]

Michael Schwarz Virginia Tech [email protected].

Fish Processors in the State of Texas

Austin , Austin, Tx. Steven Curtis, 512-476-3494 (Buys fish to process). Bowers Shrimp and Catfish, Palacios Reed Bowers. 361-972-2414. Groomer's Seafood, San Antonio, Tx. 210-377-3474 (Buys fish to process). Lighthouse Seafood. Palacios. Ronnie or Matt Benner. 361-972-1231. Quality Seafoods, Austin, Tx., Carol Huntsberger, 512-452-3820 (Buys fish to process) Seabrook Seafoods, Seabrook, Tex. ????? Buys fish to process. Texas Aquaculture Coop. Processing Plant. Markum, Tx. Steve Klingaman. 979-637-1404. Under new management and new name?

Additional Fish Buyers in Texas and Elsewhere Freedman Distributors, Richard Francis (800) 375-5444

Fulton Seafood, Ernest Swick (713) 227-7311 Formosa Seafood, Jesse? (214) 631-5903 (Dallas) Glazier Foods, Matt Starkey (832) 375-6192 Louisiana Foods, Chris Herald (713) 501-8544 Marin Foods, Varunee Chinnalai (800) 800-8889 Sysco, Gregg, Amy, Mike? (832) 754-6029 Texas Quality Seafood, Jerry Yu (713) 592-9890 Kim Son restaurant chain in Houston has a big food processing warehouse downtown. They purchase whole fresh on ice fish for processing for big wedding parties. Tuan Dinh Nguyen manager, (281) 242-3500. Silver Streak Bass Co., El Campo Plant, El Campo Industrial Park. 979- 543-8989. In some cases, buys fish to resell. Does some sorting to size, but no processing.

Ornamental Fish

According to the latest U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Census of Agriculture, published in 2009, there are 684 Ornamental Fish Farms in the USA, producing US$61,049,000 worth of fish yearly. Their survey found 27 Ornamental Fish Farms in Texas, producing US$892,000 worth of fish yearly; 18 farms in Hawaii producing US$2,418,000 worth of fish/yr; and 203 farms in Florida producing US$32,192,000 worth of fish. Florida produces half of the ornamental fish in the USA.

According to Brian Brawner of R&B Aquatic Distribution, Inc., Boerne, Texas, 15 of those commercial ‘Ornamental’ producers in the state operate on an estimated 40 acres and there are also over 100 garage or small shop producers. There are approximately 530 retail shops and 20 wholesalers whom handle tropical fish, not counting Walmart stores and other large chains that handle aquarium fish (Livebearers – platies, guppies, swordtails, mollies, etc., and Egg- layers – gouramis, danids, barbs, tetras, cichlids, etc.). Standard production ponds for tropicals are 80 ft. X 20 ft. X 5 ft. deep. Koi and goldfish ponds are often larger.

Koi “King” of the pool fish (Cyprinus carpio) or are popular water garden fish. They were bred in for almost 2,000 years. They are prized for spectacular color patterns and grow according to the size of the pool. Some grow to 3 to 4 feet long and can live 70 to 100 years. However, they do have a tendency to uproot and eat plants.

The ornamental Koi (Cyprinus carpio) in Texas. (photos of ornamentals from P. Woods).

Goldfish (Carassius auratus) or Asian carp (below) are found in two basic types (scaled and scale-less fish). Some of the scaled goldfish are Comet, Japanese Fantail, Black Chinese Moor, and some of the scale-less goldfish are Shubunkins and Calico Fantails. Most of the high quality goldfish are bred in China.

An example of an ornamental fish farm is Texas is Brett’s Fish Farm:

Questions asked Brett Rowley concerning ornamental fish culture

1. Could a person produce ornamental fish on an existing tilapia farm? The answer is yes. Standard production ponds for tropicals are generally in the size of 80 ft. X 20 ft. X 5 ft. deep. Koi and goldfish ponds are often larger. Brett’s Fish Farm (an ornamental farm in Texas, raising mostly koi since 1992) is located on an old catfish farm. Depending on the production scenario, some "old fish farms" make better ornamental farms than others. Also, some types of ornamental fish lend themselves better to systems than others. For example, some farms raise tilapia in cages or in tanks, and koi are raised outside the cages in the same tanks or ponds. Some other “tricks-of-the-trade” are the same fish that are sold in restaurants as "farm raised catfish", mostly from Viet Nam (basa) and China, are sold in pet shops in the US as an "irridescent " (Pangassius sp.), and the producers receive more money for a smaller fish. The same hatchery can produce both.

2. Feed costs? Generally speaking, feed costs would be less to feed ornamentals than it would be for full growout of intensive shrimp or tilapia production because you don’t generally grow massive quantities or pounds of ornamentals to adult size unless you want to produce broodstock. You generally sell the fish before they reach maturity and have less quantities of feed invested

into the animal when they are sold. However; it depends upon the ornamental species you want to raise.

That being said, it is not always true on feed costs. Some of the esoteric feeds and food items fed to koi cost $US50/kilo and more. High-end koi food, even in bulk can cost as much as $US40/kilo. So even though the amounts or quantities fed might be much less, and the numbers of ornamental fish would be less in the ponds, the cost per animal, as a percentage of total cost of the end product, might be the same, or even more. So, it depends upon the specific species you are raising, and when you sell it. With koi, you generally get more when you sell it as an adult, so you might have lots of money in it by the time is it full grown.

Other species may have similar situations. For example, if you are required to operate a different culture system, on the same farm, to produce live foodstuffs, such as live feeds or plankton, it drives the costs up. Some farms have plankton production ponds and they harvest live plankton for feed. Trying to purchase live feeds is very expensive, and even some of the frozen feeds are expensive. Check the price of frozen , processed cyclops, even eggs (of good quality), and they are all very expensive to purchase as feeds. These are commonly used feeds for optimum production of ornamental fish.

3. Tropical ornamental culture is a business that is generally more hatchery oriented and is generally associated with producing large numbers of fingerlings and younger fish for sale, not large numbers of pounds of fish. Most tropical producers have a large number of tanks and stimulate brood stock of multiple species to reproduce. They raise the young and sell them before they grow up completely. So there is less time and feed invested in the product, and as a general rule-of-thumb, the price received per fish is greater than the price per pound received for a fish-for-human-consumption production farm.

That being said, there are some places that are just retail centers, such as Burt Nicol’s Water Garden Gems. Water Garden Gems is generally a retailer and does not really have a “hatchery or farming operation”, only a large holding facility associated with a retail operation. Many ornamental fish are sold as juveniles, but many are also not sold until they are adults. Koi bring the most money as fully mature adults. Many are sold as juveniles, also.

Goldfish, OTOH, are largely sold as adults, and not so many juveniles are sold, so more of an investment would be made with this species before it is sold. Other ornamentals, like African cichlids, are sold both as juveniles and adults. But, most of those types are produced indoors. In some cases you will find a divided production scenario where a hatchery provides offspring to outlying farms

to grow out.

4. What are the main species of ornamentals and what is demanded most from the US market?

Livebearers – platies, guppies, swordtails, mollies, etc., and Egg-layers – gouramis, danids, barbs, tetras, and cichlids. Some types of Koi or goldfish (OTOH) are desired in the US market.

Goldfish (Carassius auratus) or Asian carp are found in two basic types (scaled and scale-less fish) on the US market. Some of the scaled goldfish found in the US market are Comet, Japanese Fantail, Black Chinese Moor, and some of the scale-less goldfish are Shubunkins and Calico Fantails. Most of the high quality goldfish are bred in China. High quality koi are available from some US producers such as Brett’s Fish Farm in Texas. "Coldwater ornamentals" aka "pond fish" which would include koi, goldfish, longfinned koi, white clouds, rudd, tench, crucians, and , are all popular species in US. "Tropicals” also make up a very large US market. Koi are popular fish for water gardens in the US market, but it takes a lot of physical effort and equipment to support them (big pond or pool, good filter equipment, etc,). A larger market exists in the US for goldfish, and tropical aquarium fish is a larger market still in the US. Saltwater tropicals are also in high demand, but are limited in market similar to koi by the need for special .

5. Where is the main target market in the USA?

Major cities like Miami, Houston, Los Angles, etc. are major entry points for imports. There are some marketing channels that you have to go through or penetrate or have special access to be able to sell. Aquaculture Magazine’s Buyer’s Guide and Industry Directory lists a number of ornamental and tropical fish producers, suppliers and importers.

For what would be called "coldwater ornamentals" which would include koi, goldfish, longfinned koi, white clouds, rudd, tench, crucians, sturgeons, etc. and exclude "tropicals", the market is primarily, ultimately, US homeowners. Homeowners with landscaped yards and fish ponds and those fish are generally sold through retailers, like Burt Nicol’s Water Garden Gems in Marion, Texas, or even provided by the companies doing the landscape work. Burt is just a retailer, so he purchases his fish from a producers at wholesale and holds them until they sell retail. The intermediate market is the local koi shop, garden center, fish shop, water garden store, etc.

6. What type of clients would you sell ornamentals?

Walmart or other large chains are probably out of the picture, unless you can come in as a low bidder. It will no doubt take a variety of clients to buy all the production from a good size farm, so you may sell part to wholesalers in the US such as Burt Nicols and get a low bid for Walmart. For US producers, most can’t come in as low bidder and can’t afford to sell to Walmart, Petsmart, Petco or other large chains. Most of their customers will fall into two categories....retail, direct to collectors and wholesale, to shops, stores, and distributors.

The direct to consumer (collector) market is for the highest quality fish. These are sold at the farm gate, but also at shows, exhibitions, seminars, etc. Also sales can be made over the internet. Internet sales could be developed into a large business for you if proper delivery methods such as UPS, DHL, FEDEX, are available from your farm site to the market in an over-night guaranteed delivery.

The wholesale market in the US is generally for the lower grade fish in larger quantities. These might go to small, family-owned “Mom and Pop” outfits, retail store fronts, distributors, and other fish farms.

Walmart, Petsmart, PETCO, and other chains are pretty much out of reach to the average US producer, especially the Texas producers. Mainly because those operations buy from the lowest bidder, usually China, Isreal, SE Asia, Costa Rica, Colombia, and are notoriously slow in paying and they are a distribution nightmare (10 fish per store times 3000 stores).

7. How much does the market usually pay, in general, for wholesale of the different species?

There are price lists circulated for the species. There are wholesale price lists for the various wild caught ornamentals from Colombian jungles. Koi can sell for around $0.20 or so and up. Some years back, 4" pond koi were selling at US farms for around $2.25 each (wholesale). Now the same fish brings about $0.35 or so. So Chinese and other foreign competition has brought the farm gate prices down considerably and the producers must be able to adjust accordingly.

To high-end dealers, some producers in Texas are able to sell koi (8 to 10 inches in size) for as much as $150 each, but there are very few of these sales made according to sources in the industry.

8. What is the cost to produce those species?

Costs are very high. Land, water, fuel, electricity, labor, feed, etc, in the US, have gone up rapidly in recent years, while the wholesale prices of most ornamental fish have fallen in the US market.

9. Where is main ornamental competition?

Growers in Florida, Costa Rica, China, Japan, wild fish caught in the jungles of Brazil or Colombia. There are 15 ornamental producers in Texas. However, the biggest competition will be China. Japan to some extent would also be in competition, but only at the high end. There are many producers, competing in some cases for the same markets, but that is the case with all of the areas of aquaculture. There are many more producers, especially of tropical ornamentals, in Florida than in Texas. Puerto Rico has a few tropical producers. Photos of a tropical fish producer in Puerto Rico follow:

Bagging fish in Puerto Rico for air-freight to US market in Miami

Outdoor tropical fish production ponds in Puerto Rico.

Big producers of coldwater ornamentals are also in North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Arkansas, Missouri, Maryland, California, Alabama, Oregon, and Washington state.

For specific names of producers, and buyers, such as B& B Aquatics (Ky), Bassinger Wholesale (Tx), Billy Bland Fishery Inc. (Ar), consult Aquaculture Magazine’s Buyer’s Guide and Industry Directory.

10. What would it take, total investment, to set up an ornamental farm to produce ornamental fish? Say if you already had a tilapia farm and wanted to convert to ornamentals --- what would it take?

The total cost, obviously is going to depend upon the size of the farm and what production level you wanted to achieve. With existing tilapia ponds, depending upon their size, the ponds would most likely have to be down-sized to

have an optimum size for tropicals, but maybe not if you wanted to raise koi. That construction could be estimated for the specific site. It took $20,000 for Brett Rowley, almost fifteen years ago, to convert an old catfish farm into a koi farm, but he had less than ideal size ponds and less than optimum location and water quality.

For a completed ornamental farm, you can find a koi and goldfish farm for sale in Alabama right now (Price's Fish Farm) for comparison. They are an older farm operation, but they are not known for the "top quality" fish. They sell mostly wholesale. The price is probably in the low $US millions for the whole business, including land, ponds, buildings, and list of their buyers.

11. Where would you buy broodstock to get started in the business?

Another tough question to answer with the ornamental disease issues nowdays such as KHV. But for koi, in Japan for sure. Here in the US, you can purchase top quality broodstock from Brett Rowley and others. For top end breeders, maybe some other places. Brett’s Fish Farm does have some of the finest koi breeding stock outside of Japan. They are healthy, free, proven producers of prizewinners, best blood lines, etc. etc. for sale for a lot less than other producers.

12. Cost of broodstock?

Koi: Brett Rowley told me that he doubts that it could be done again, but in 1992, when he got started, he purchased 47 top quality Japanese breeder koi for $100,000. Nowdays, a good female in a popular breed will cost $8000 to $35,000 or so. Males can be purchased for as little as $1000 each, or $2500 for a real good one.

Brett Rowley collects broodstock several different ways. Mostly he buys from Japan. Sometimes he takes a fish from a collection, a very good example of a breed he is presently pursuing. Sometimes he buys one from a domestic breeder. He again emphasized that nowdays you can't be too careful where you buy fish, with KHV and other diseases ever-present and capable of wiping your business out rapidly.

Other varieties and species of tropical’s are the same as koi. Just like anything else; dogs, cows, horses, birds; whatever you breed, a good brood animal costs a lot of money. Poor brood animals are never worth it.

Aquatic Plant Production Industry in Texas

Aquatic Plant nurseries and Water Gardens (retail outlets) make up a very large portion of the aquaculture industry in Texas.

Water lily. (photo from M. Masser)

Typical water garden plants are Bog Plants and Lilies. Large water garden centers typically sell as many as 60 different species of Bog Plants. Some centers may commonly sell as many as 80 varieties of lilies, including Hardies – day bloomers and Tropicals – day and night bloomers. Other common plants for water gardens are sedges, rushes, Papyrus and floating plants.

It is estimated that more than one out of every 10 homes in has a water garden and about one of every 100 homes in the USA has a water garden. Water garden design and landscaping is a growing industry in Texas. The water garden industry in Texas is estimated to generate 7 million dollars a year in sales. There seems to be room for growth in most if not all segments of the industry (pond construction and set-up, fish production, plant production and retail sales). Water gardens (photos from P. Woods).

Water Garden photos from Peter Woods and Michael Masser.

One popular Water Garden facility in Texas is: Water Garden Gems 3136 Bolton Rd. Marion, Texas 78124-6002. Owner/Founder: Burt Nichols. Tel. (210) 659-5841. Email: [email protected]. Web site: www.watergardengems.com.

Description: Water Garden Gems is a family owned full service Koi and Water Garden center located in Marion, Texas, 18 miles east of San Antonio. Founded in 1990 by Burt Nichols, Water Garden Gems is now the largest full service water garden center in South Central United States. Sitting on 3.3 acres, Water Garden Gems features 10 fully landscaped ponds, a 3000 square foot indoor Koi facility, hundreds of water plants, including 80 water lily selling ponds and 60 bog plant selling ponds. WGG also has a large selection of fine statuary, filtration and pond supplies.

Commercial Marine Shrimp Farming in Texas

Texas produces more farm-raised shrimp than any other state in the United States and accounted for 70 percent of the US domestic production in 2003 (13 million pounds in US versus 9 million pounds in Texas). In 2004 Texas produced 65 percent of the US farm-raised shrimp (12.3 million pounds in US versus 7.94 million pounds in Texas). But production in the state has decreased

since it peaked out in 2003. 2004 production was 7.94 million pounds, 6.83 million pounds were produced in 2005 and 5 million pounds were produced by 12 operators in 2006. 3.4 million pounds produced in 2007 by 11 operators. Low farm gate prices, due to competition with imports, have partly contributed to this decline in U.S. and Texas shrimp aquaculture production. Rising costs of operation was another contributing factor to the industry decline. The declining production continued through the 2010 season as can be seen in the tables below. Only 2.5 million pounds were produced from 5 farms in 2010 and 2.179 million pounds from 5 farms were produced in 2011, worth $5,230,819.

Raised with high standards and constant control, farm-raised shrimp offer consumers an excellent choice of seafood. In 2004, the drop in production was due partly to the Virus (TSV) in South Texas and fewer ponds were stocked because of lower prices. TSV has not returned to the state since. There were then approximately 3,000 acres of shrimp culture ponds in Texas with approximately 479 ponds constructed, but not all were being used. Only 2,343 acres were stocked in 2004 and even fewer (1,906) were stocked in 2005. 1,601 acres were used to grow shrimp in 2006, and 1,248 acres were stocked in 2007. The graph below shows Texas shrimp aquaculture production from 1987 to 2006, and the decline starting in 2004, which has continued until 2008, when production increased to 3.725 million pounds.

Texas Shrimp Aquaculture Production 1987-2006

10000000

9000000

8000000 7000000 6000000 5000000 Weight (lb) 4000000 3000000

2000000

1000000

0 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year

Shrimp wholesale or farm-gate prices failed to keep pace with the record production in 2002 and 2003, and prices remained low throughout 2004, 2005

and into 2006. Prices recovered slightly in 2007, but not enough to help many farms closing their doors. The farm-gate price for shrimp in Texas averaged $2.00 per pound, but varied according to size. Generally since 2002, the average farm gate prices bring $3.00/lb for 30 gram shrimp; $2.00/lb for 20 gram shrimp and $1.00/lb for 10 gram shrimp. Prices dropped lowest in 2004, but have come back slightly, but are still far below what they were in 2001.

The bar graph below shows the total farm-gate price of heads on shrimp in Texas from 1993 to 2003. 2004 farm gate total was 15.88, ‘05 13.66 million $, $10M in ’06, and $6.8 M in 2007.

Texas Shrimp Crop Value

25

19.8 20 18.6 17.4 17.96 16

15 12.8 11.2 11.5 9.7 10

6

Millions of Dollars of Millions 5 3.8

0 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Year

The map below from Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, shows the location of Texas shrimp farms. Only one farm continues to operate in west Texas, Permian Sea Organics. The other west Texas farms are either for sale or

have closed. Lone Star Hatchery closed in Port Isabel, and Southern Star (Arroyo Aqua Farm) sold to a Mr. Wong from China, but has not started production again as of 2012. Texas Seabreeze closed in 2008.

Above is a historical map of the shrimp farms in Texas. There are only 5 farms remaining on the coast.

As can be seen on the bar graph below the cost of growing shrimp in Texas has varied through the years. In 1995 the costs showed up very high because of the TSV outbreak and production was very low. However, the prices recovered in 1997 and farm-gate prices stayed ahead of the costs until 2002. Prices dropped to a low in 2004 and have remained low since then. Feed costs have continued to rise, as have other operating costs, and shrimp farming in Texas is no longer looking to be as profitable as it once was.

The table shows total number of acres built by shrimp farms in Texas as of 2004, which does not include those farms that were growing shrimp and shifted to hybrid striped bass. The table also shows number of ponds built and number of ponds and acres stocked in 2004. There were 2,321 acres stocked, and some ponds were restocked because of mortality associated with TSV, or somewhere around 2,343 total acres stocked in 2004.

Texas Commercial Shrimp Farms 2004. Ponds Acres Commercial Shrimp Acres Total Number Stock Stock Farms in 2004 (Total Built) Ponds Built ‘04 ‘04

Arroyo Aquaculture Assoc. 235 47 28 140 Austwell Aqua Farm 60 12 12 60 Bowers Shrimp 370 79 79 370 D&T – closed 2005 18 4 4 18 Harlingen Shrimp Farm, LTD 412 22 22 412 HSF at Arroyo 190 38 38 190 Jr.'s Aquaculture 50 10 10 50 Loma Alta 122 21 21 122 Mengers & Sons 0 1 1 1 Permian Sea 64 16 0 0 Regal Farms (closed '05) 50 13 13 50 Southern Star, Inc. (leased out) 1,109 157 79 680 St. Martin's 220 44 44 220 Texas Seabreeze 28-30 14 14 30 Totals 2,930 478 365 2343

Texas Commercial Shrimp Farms 2005.

PL Stocked Harvest # LB Survival Acres

Farm 1 2,200,000 1,056,903 55,600 48.04% 10 Farm 2 1,100,000 586,000 31,000 53.27% 5 Farm 3 3,923,750 1,898,084 86,107 48.37% 20 Farm 4 34,444,000 14,500,000 699,242 42.10% 185 Farm 5 11,000,000 6,000,000 330,000 54.55% 50 Farm 6 8,000,000 5,152,301 249,671 64.40% 40 Farm 7 3,900,000 1,881,678 88,172 48.25% 15 Farm 8 11,000,000 7,374,301 357,345 67.04% 50

Farm 9 13,630,000 5,556,142 244,764 40.76% 60 Farm 10 26,000,000 18,000,000 781,000 69.23% 145 Farm 11 61,100,000 29,860,000 1,755,318 48.87% 460 Farm 12 2,800,000 1,120,000 40,000 40.00% 14 Farm 13 32,500,000 14,800,000 565,849 45.54% 412 Farm 14 18,000,000 9,576,000 342,000 53.20% 78 Farm 15 303,000 27.00% 122 Farm 16 50,200,000 22,936,420 882,170 45.69% 220 Farm 17 1,000,000 700,000 20,000 70.00% 20

Total 280,297,750 140,997,829 6,831,238 50.21% 1,906 (Source of data in tables: Dr. Ya Sheng Juan, TPWD)

There were 1,906 producing acres of farm raised shrimp in 2005, producing a state average of 3,584 lbs. of whole shrimp per acre. There were over 280 million postlarval shrimp stocked and almost 141 million were harvested, with a 50% average survival. Producing Texas shrimp farms in the Arroyo City area in 2005 were Chuang’s International, Cameron Shrimp Farm, Golden Harvest, Harlingen Shrimp Farm, Ltd., Michael’s Shrimp Farm (Lucky Shrimp Farm), San Tung Inc., Yuan’s Enterprises Inc., and SS-San Tung. Other producing farms in 2005 were: Austwell Aqua Farm, Bowers Shrimp Farm, Bowers Valley Shrimp, Inc., Texas Seabreeze Shrimp Co., Harlingen Shrimp Farm, Ltd., Junior Aquaculture Farm, Loma Alta Aquaculture, St. Martin Seafood, and Permian Sea Organics. Non producing farms in 2005 were Natural Shrimp International, La Coste; D&T Shrimp (Imperial); Pecos River Aquaculture (Imperial); and Regal Farms (Imperial).

Texas Shrimp Farms and Production - 2006 Number of Texas Shrimp PL Stocked Individuals ‘06 ‘06 Farm Name in ‘06 Harvested ‘06 (LBS) %Sur. Ac.

Arroyo Aqua.Asc. 43,400,000 15,969,386 702,229 36.80 185 SS-San Tung 11,500,000 5,103,005 224,802 44.37 55

Austwell Aqua Farm 17,216,116 7,199,470 348,873 41.82 84 Bowers Shrimp Farm 30,000,000 19,000,000 718,000 63.33 145 Bowers Valley Shrimp, Inc. 61,000,000 29,873,500 1,375,000 48.97 460 Texas Seabreeze Shrimp Co. 2,400,000 1,003,579 42,000 41.82 12 Harlingen Shrimp Farm 21,000,000 8,000,000 370,000 38.10 346 Junior Aquaculture Farm 18,000,000 8,424,000 312,000 46.80 72 Loma Alta -closed St. Martin Seafood Shrimp Farm 51,400,000 21,851,292 890,673 42.51 220 Mengers and son 70 0.1

TAES Flour Bluff 945,000 320,000 7,000 33.86 2

Permian Sea Organics (estimated from '05) 1,000,000 700,000 20,000 70.00 20

Av. Total- 2006 257,861,116 117,444,232 5,010,647 45.55 1,601 Source: Dr. Ya Sheng Juan, TPWD, Brownsville, Texas

In 2006 twelve producers stocked 258 million post larvae into 1600 acres and produced 5 million pounds of shrimp, with an average survival of 46%. In 2007 there 11 different commercial shrimp farms operating. Two were owned by the same group (Bowers), but were in separate parts of the state. Average

survivals in 2007 were lower (42%). Over 190 million PLs were stocked and 3.4 million pounds harvested, which was down 32% from 2006. The number of acres in production also dropped 22% in 2007 (from 1,601 to 1,248 acres).

Texas Shrimp Farm Production 2007

Company Name PL stocked # Harvest Lbs Survival Acres SS-San Tung 11,300,000 2,333,556 11841 20.65% 45

Austwell Aqua Farm 10,554,000 3,098,323 136,490 29.36% 50 Bowers Shrimp Farm 33,500,000 18,000,000 769,082 53.73% 145 Bowers Valley Shrimp, Inc. 66,100,000 22,008,119 1,164,455 33.30% 450 Texas Seabreeze Shrimp Co. 1,650,000 820,000 32,800 49.70% 8 Harlingen Shrimp Farm 21,000,000 14,000,000 503,000 66.67% 337

St. Martin Seafood Shrimp Farm 45,290,000 19,503,620 731,234 43.06% 200 Mengers and son 12,000 1,135 50 9.46% 0.1

Research facilities:

TAES Flour Bluff 353,000 282,400 10,000 80.00% 1

West Texas Farms: Natural Shrimp International Inc.

Permian Sea Organics 800,000 400,000 12,000 50.00% 12

Total 190,559,000 80,447,153 3,478,952 42.22% 1,248 Data for this table were provided by Dr. Ya –Sheng Juan, TPWD, Brownsville.

2008 Texas Shrimp Farm Production

Acres Pounds Stocked Produced PLs stocked AAA Michael 8.0 32,000 2,000,000 Harlingen Shrimp Farms Ltd. 337.0 520,000 20,340,000 SS San Tung 55.0 229,022 10,000,000 Bowers Shrimp 349.0 1,850,900 61,000,000 St. Martin’s Seafood 220.0 1,055,370 51,411,000 TAMU R&D Flour Bluff 1.0 6,100 164,000 Permian Sea Organics, Imperial 4.0 7,000 400,000 Natural Shrimp, San Antonio 0.5 25,000 1,418,750

974.5 3,725,392 146,733,750

7 commercial farms 1 research facility Source: Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan. Texas Parks and Wildlfie Dept. Brownsville, Texas

2009 Texas shrimp farm production

Pounds # individuals Acres Harvested PLs Stocked harvested Note

HSF 337.0 466,000 24,000,000 13,000,000 San Tung 60.0 200,612 6,000,000 3,600,000 Bowers Valley 200.0 1,100,000 43,700,000 28,000,000 Bowers 145.0 810,193 30,500,000 23,100,000

St. Martin 130.0 701,820 31,000,000 20,352,780 2 ponds 4 raceways TAMU 1.2 8,200 850,000 178,000

Natural Shrimp N/A

TOTALS 873.2 3,286,825 136,050,000 88,230,780 Survival 64.85% 5 commercial farms (Bowers college port farm split to two farms) 1 research

Ha (=2.47 ac.) 353.5 Total kg harvested 1,494,011 kg/ha 4226.1 Value $6,902,333 Value/ha $19,524

Source: Dr. Ya Sheng Juan, Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., Brownsville, TX.

Texas Marine Shrimp Farm Production 2010

ac lbs PLs # Harvest

HSF 157.0 299,594 11,229,000 8,268,568 San Tung 30.0 74,426 3,000,000 1,352,000 Bowers Valley 170.0 801,861 36,130,000 16,839,081 Bowers 200.0 911,097 41,215,000 19,761,069 St. Martin 130.0 428,570 21,700,000 11,999,960

Permian Sea 4.0 1,100 75,000 Natural Shrimp TAMU 2.0 10,000

TOTALS 693.0 2,526,648 113,349,000 58,220,678

Survival 51.36%

5 commercial farms (Bowers Collegeport farm split to two farms) 1 research facility ha 280.6 Total kg 1,143,931 kg/ha 4077.2 Value $6,039,955 $ 2.40/lb Value/ha $21,528

Source: Dr. Ya Sheng Juan, Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., Brownsville, TX.

Note: the total ha., kg., kg/ha, value, value/ha. data above does not include the 10,000 lbs produced by the TAMU research facility in Flour Bluff.

2011 Texas Shrimp Farm Production

ac lbs PLs Harvest Note

HSF 127.5 285,191 10,391,000 6,715,062 San Tung 60.0 160,221 6,000,000 2,909,600 Bowers Valley 100.0 310,646 16,865,000 5,000,000 Bowers 280.0 1,151,700 51,585,000 25,000,000 St. Martin 40.0 133,810 6,400,000 3,880,490 TAMU-Flour Bluff 2.0 30,000 1,388,000 760,740 Permian Sea

Natural Shrimp 1.0 10,000 2,000,000 200,000 Did not harvest all Michael Shrimp Farm 20.0 110,000 3,000,000 2,053,320

TAMU-Port A 0.01 440 430,000 12,000 Discard some after experiment

630.5 2,192,008 98,059,000 46,531,212 Survival 47.45% 6 commercial farms (Bowers college port farm split to two farms) + Natural Shrimp 1 research ha 255.3 Total kg 996,367 kg/ha 3903.2

Value $5,260,819 $ 2.40/lb Value/ha $20,609

ac lbs PLs Harvest

HSF 127.5 285,191 10,391,000 6,715,062 San Tung 60.0 160,221 6,000,000 2,909,600 Michael Shrimp Farm 20.0 110,000 3,000,000 2,053,320

Total 207.5 555,412 19,391,000 11,677,982 Survival 60.22%

Details from Dr. Tzachi Samocha of Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Research Station, Flour Bluff, Texas about their 2 011 production (tables below). Total 30,000 lbs harvested.

Shrimp System # of tanks Volume (m3) PL stocked harvested RW 2 100 78,000 64,740 RW 5 40 100,000 80,000 Ponds 4 2,000 400,000 220,000 Total 578,000 364,740

Growth System Density Salinty Initial Wt. Final Wt. Days (g/wk) Survival Yield FCR Volume (shrimp/m3) (ppt) (g) (g) (%) (kg/m3) 40 m3 500a 18 1.9 23.2 82 1.82 82.3 9.5 1.43 40 m3 500a 30 1.4 25.1 85 1.95 78.9 9.9 1.44 100 m3 390b 30 3.1 25.3 106 1.46 83 8.4 1.77 a Fast growth line from OI b Taura resistant line (non-fast growing) from SIS Ponds were stocked at 50/m3 in four ponds each 2,000 m3 in volume average survival 55% Source: Dr. Ya Sheng Juan Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. Brownsville, Texas

US Farmed Shrimp Production History

The US farmed shrimp production grew at a steady rate from 1997 to 2003, then began to decline every year to the present. There has been a decline in US shrimp aquaculture production since it peaked in 2003 at 13 million pounds. It declined to 7.8 million pounds in 2006 and declined to 6 million pounds in 2007. It dropped even lower in 2008 to 4.26 million pounds of marine shrimp produced by US farms, and lower again in 2009 to 3.8 million pounds. The decrease in 2008 was mainly the result of two large farms closing in Florida (Ocean Boy Farms). Most of the small shrimp farms in South Carolina have closed and other existing farms are struggling. Several of the Texas shrimp farms have switched to either red drum or catfish, which contributed to the drop in shrimp production in 2009. The 2010 production of marine shrimp in the USA was approximately 3 million pounds, with details of each state presented later in this section. There is hope that the super-intensive systems in the USA will revive the industry, but to date every super-intensive shrimp system attempted in the US has not been sustainable.

The chart above was an early estimation of US marine shrimp farm production in 2008, and it indeed came in less at 4.26 million pounds in 2008 and even less in 2009 (3.8 million pounds, estimating Hawaii and Saipan, which were not available at the time of this update).

The USA marine shrimp farming production in 2008 and specific data from each producing state

State Lbs. Shrimp Harvested Acres PLs stocked

Texas 3,725,392 975 146,733,750

Alabama 171,000 54 6,000,000

Florida 73,593 25 3,080,000

Hawaii/Saipan 110,000

South Carolina 14,000

Kentucky 66,224 1 (covered) 2,580,000

Maryland 50,000

Arizona 50,000 18 2,600,000

U.S. Totals 4,260,209 1073 161,143,750 ------

The USA marine shrimp farming production in 2009 with specific data from each producing state

State Lbs. Shrimp Harvested Acres PLs stocked

Texas 3, 286,825 873.2 136,050,000

Alabama 269,047 83 9,500,000

Florida 90,701 (6 ponds 2009) 25 4,000,000

Hawaii/Saipan 110,000 (estimated from 2008 since 2009 data not available)

South Carolina 25,000 12 ac. & 1 900,000

Maryland 50,000

Arizona 8,000 (8 gram animals) 7 750,000

U.S. Totals 3,839,573 1,000 151,200,000

NOTES:

Texas data does not include production or PLs stocked from Natural Shrimp International. Their status is unknown and may have closed or moved to .

Mills Rook started construction of a $3 million shrimp farm in South Carolina, which was scheduled to be operational in 2010. One source said that it was going to stock native PLs to produce table shrimp and another source said bait shrimp. Ocean Bounty is the Company name and it has a web site. http://www.oceansbountyseafarms.com/ourproducts.html According to Dr. Al Stokes at Waddell Mariculture in South Carolina, Mills Rook is no longer with the company.

2009 data were not available for Hawaii and Saipan, so 2008 data were used to estimate it.

Sources of information: Craig Collins, Desert Shrimp, AZ.; Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan, TPWD, Brownsville, Tx.; Dr. David Teichert Coddington, Greene Prairie Aquafarm, AL.; Mark Godwin, Woods Fisheries, Fla.; Dr. Al Stokes, South Carolina; Dr. James Tidwell, Ky. (reported production for Ky as zero and they put operations on hold); Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, San Diego, Ca.; Dr. Tony Ostrowski, O.I., Hawaii, and Dr. Shaun Moss, USMSFP, Hawaii.

ALABAMA FARMED SHRIMP PRODUCTION 2009 PREPARED BY DAVID TEICHERT- CODDINGTON

Total Total Total PLs Production Mean Est. % Farm acres stocked (lbs) wt (g) Survival 1 54 7,000,000 199,047 26.4 56 2 17 2,100,000 52,000 26.5 42 3 12 400,000 18,000 26.5 77 Totals 3 83 9,500,000 269,047

Woods Fisheries 2009 results (Florida):

A1 A2 A3 B1 B2 B3 HARVEST 17033 13623 17316 12484 13793 16,452 POUNDS/ACRE 4447 3440 3891 3129 3193 3,592

SIZE 20.52 22.98 22.88 30.20 28.97 21.76 COUNT 22.11 19.74 19.83 15.02 15.66 20.85 GROWTH AFTER DAY 29 0.92 1.17 1.13 1.46 1.34 1.04 SURVIVAL 60.24% 43.02% 48.49% 30.00% 30.50% 48.44% FCR 1.47 1.55 1.48 1.53 1.60 1.58

In general lower growth rates this year; especially the last 10 weeks in the ponds. Some Texas shrimp farmers also experienced similar results. They explained it by saying that the disease-resistant shrimp grew slower.

Woods Fisheries harvested 90,701 lbs. of shrimp from 6 ponds, averaging 3,615 lbs. per acre. They plan to stock 12 ponds in 2010. Source: Mark Godwin, Woods Fisheries, Port St. Joe, Fla.

2009 Texas shrimp farm production

Acre Pounds # individuals s Harvested PLs Stocked harvested Note

HSF 337.0 466,000 24,000,000 13,000,000 San Tung 60.0 200,612 6,000,000 3,600,000 Bowers Valley 200.0 1,100,000 43,700,000 28,000,000 Bowers 145.0 810,193 30,500,000 23,100,000 St. Martin 130.0 701,820 31,000,000 20,352,780 2 ponds 4 TAMU 1.2 8,200 850,000 178,000 raceways

Natural Shrimp N/A

TOTALS 873.2 3,286,825 136,050,000 88,230,780 Survival 64.85% 5 commercial farms (Bowers Collegeport farm split to two farms) 1 research

facility

Ha (=2.47 ac.) 353.5 Total kg harvested 1,494,011 kg/ha 4226.1 Value $6,902,333 Value/ha $19,524

Source: Dr. Ya Sheng Juan, Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. , Brownsville, Tx.

US Shrimp Farm Production 2010 with data from each producing state

Compiled by Granvil Treece, Texas A&M University

State Lbs. Shrimp Harvested Acres PLs stocked

Texas 2,526,648 693 113,349,000

Alabama 248,900 75 8,400,000

Florida 90,368 25 4,000,000

Hawaii 18,000? ? ?

CNMI (Saipan) 42,000 ? ?

Guam 40,000 ? ?

South Carolina 7,000 1 ac. ?

U.S. Totals about 3,000,000 lbs. 794 ac. 125,749,000 PLs

NOTES:

The last remaining farm in Arizona (Desert Sweet Shrimp) closed down in 2010, and reopened in 2011. Marvesta in Maryland was under re-construction the first nine months in 2010 but will have production in 2011. Natural Shrimp in La Coste, Texas started up again late in 2010 and will have crops in 2011.

Sources of information: Craig Collins, Arizona; Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan, TPWD, Brownsville, Tx.; Dr. David Teichert Coddington, Greene Prairie Aquafarm, AL.; Mark Godwin, Woods Fisheries, Port St. Joe, Fla.; Dr. Al Stokes, South Carolina; Bob Rosenberry, Shrimp News International, San Diego, Ca.; Dr. Shaun Moss, USMSFP, Hawaii; Doug Ernst, NaturalShrimp, La Coste, Tx.; Mel Catalma @Saipan Aquacutlure; Michael Ogo (Guam and CNMI data); Guy Furman at Marvesta in Maryland.

Texas Marine Shrimp Farm Production 2010

ac lbs PLs # Harvest

HSF 157.0 299,594 11,229,000 8,268,568 San Tung 30.0 74,426 3,000,000 1,352,000 Bowers Valley 170.0 801,861 36,130,000 16,839,081 Bowers 200.0 911,097 41,215,000 19,761,069 St. Martin 130.0 428,570 21,700,000 11,999,960

Permian Sea 4.0 1,100 75,000 Natural Shrimp

TAMU 2.0 10,000

693.0 2,526,648 113,349,000 58,220,678

Survival 51.36%

5 commercial farms (Bowers Collegeport farm split to two farms) 1 research facility ha 280.6

1,143,93 Total kg 1 kg/ha 4077.2 $6,039,9 Value 55 $ 2.40/lb Value/ha $21,528

Source: Dr. Ya-Sheng Juan, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Brownsville, Texas

------Total of 4 million PLs stocked.

Had low DO in A2 about half way through season and lost shrimp. Had low DO in B2 about 2 weeks before harvest and lost a lot of shrimp. Otherwise, did well. Source: Mark B. Godwin Wood’s Fisheries, Inc. 464 Angel Fish Street P.O. Box 927 Port St. Joe, FL 32456

Individual farm production from Alabama 2010 by David Teichert- Coddington:

Est. Farm Total acres Total PLs bought Total Production Mean wt Survival 1 54 6,000,000 182,400 30.8 45 2 15 2,000,000 49,000 32 35 3 6 400,000 17,500 26 76 Totals 3 75 8,400,000 248,900

2010 individual farm production from South Carolina by Dr. Al Stokes

“There was a one acre pond that produced 3,800 pounds. There are a few native shrimp producers that produced some shrimp for food and bait. These farms do not need to report production. WMC raceway produced approximately 3,200 pounds. We recently signed a contract to work with a SC company to provide assistance to develop a commercial prototype.”

U.S. Farmed Shrimp Production 1988-2010 14

12

10

8

6

4 MillionPounds

2

0

Year

Highlights about some of the USA shrimp farms

Marvesta Shrimp Farms Scott Fritze, Andrew Hanzlik and Guy Furman, Marvesta Shrimp Farms, 201 Enterprise Drive, Hurlock, Maryland 21643. Mailing address: PO Box J, Hurlock, Maryland 21643 USA (phone 1-410-943-1733, fax 1-410-943-1734, emails: [email protected], or [email protected] [email protected].

Web page http://www.marvesta.com OR http://marvesta.com/index.php

On 1-21-11 Guy Furman at Marvesta stated that they were under re-construction the first nine months of 2010, and should have crops to report in 2011.

Woods Fisheries, Port St. Joe, Florida

Woods Fisheries 6 ponds (converted 300 acre catfish farm)

Woods Fisheries shrimp processing plant in Port St. Joe, Fla.

Woods Fisheries Production Comparisons from Mark Godwin, Jan. 2011

YEAR NET STOCKING AVERAGE GROWTH FCR POUNDS/ACRE MINIMUM MAXIMUM SURVIVA after day /m2 L 30 SURVIVAL SURVIVAL

2006 25 49.40% 1.53 1.43 3421 (one pond) (one pond) 2007 25 35.60% 1.42 1.81 2278 15.68 55.92 2008 30 41.70% 1.29 1.41 2926 33.26 51.47 2009 39.3 43.40% 1.16 1.53 3606 30.00 60.24 2010 39.3 43.80% 1.01 1.70 3593 19.87 58.50

Marine Shrimp Producers in the USA (either brood or larvae)

Shrimp Improvement Systems (SIS) www.shrimpimprovement.com/ Plantation Key, Florida. Tel. (305) 852-0872 Owned by Central Proteina Prima of Indonesia. http://www.cpp.co.id/ CP Prima, Indonesia

These are the impressive holdings of CP in Indonesia:

Areas of July Aug Sep Nov Unit Oct 07 Dec 07 revitalization 07 07 07 07 No.of ponds at 4,709 4,709 4,709 4,709 4,709 4,709 WM No. of ponds 706 1,884 3,108 3,296 3,859 4,709 revitalized* % of ponds 15% 40% 66% 70% 82% 100% revitalized

Mn Hatcheries 220 350 450 460 460 765 fries/mo Mn fries/yr 2,640 4,200 5,400 5,520 5,520 9,180

Shrimp MT/mo 2,000 3,500 3,500 3,500 3,500 8,000 Feedmill MT/yr 24,000 42,000 42,000 42,000 42,000 96,000

Processing MT 840 1,120 1,120 1,120 1,120 2,800 Plant RM/mo MT/yr 10,800 13,440 13,440 13,440 13,440 33,600

Power Plant WM MW 12.5 25.0 25.0 37.5 50.0 50.0 AWS MW 12,0 18.0 19.0 19.0 21.0 28.0

Kava Farms. Bayview, Texas. Fritz Jaenike, General Manager. http://www.harlingenshrimp.com/

High Health Aquaculture, Kona, Hawaii. Dr. Jim Wyban, owner. http://www.hihealthshrimp.com/

Integrated Aquaculture International, LLC (IAI) has purchased a majority interest in Sunrise Capital, Inc., a Hawaiian holding company doing business as Kona Bay Marine Resources. James Sweeney, manager of Kona Bay. http://www.konabaymarine.com/

Moana Technologies. Kona, Hawaii. http://www.nelha.org/tenants/precommercial.html

The US Marine Shrimp Farming Program (funding terminated by US Congress in 2011)

The process of producing domesticated shrimp for US producers started in Hawaii, where USDA’s US Marine Shrimp Farming Program maintained genetically improved, disease resistant shrimp in quarantine on the big island of Hawaii. Offspring were sent to US hatcheries where water was treated and filtered to maintain a clean environment for the ‘high health’ SPR shrimp.

United States Marine Shrimp Farming

Program Tufts University

University of Arizona

Texas AgriLife Research Waddell Mariculture Center

Oceanic Nicholls Gulf Coast Research Institute State University Laboratory

Shrimp Improvement Systems, Plantation Key, Florida (the largest marine shrimp hatchery in the USA, supplying most of the US farms is one of those hatcheries which received genetically selected animals from USMSFP. They still have the shrimp lines used in the past, but no new genetically selected shrimp are coming from USMSFP.

Biology: Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

The Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, (formerly vannamei) is a marine belonging to the order Decapoda and the family . The body is translucent but often has a bluish-green hue due to the presence of pigmented chromatophores (molecules evolved to collect/reflect light). Litopenaeus vannamei (below) can reach 230 mm (9 inches) in length and is restricted to eastern Pacific waters ranging from Sonora, Mexico to Tumbes in northern (Farfante and Kensley 1997). See natural distribution map below. Its preferred ranges from muddy bottoms of the shoreline down to depths of 72 m (235 feet) (Dore and Frimodt 1987). The anatomy and life-history of L. vannamei are similar to other members of the family Penaeidae.

Litopenaeus vannamei (http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish)

Weight at first maturity ranges from 20 g for males and 28 g for females, and is usually obtained between six and seven months of age. Female L. vannamei, weighing 30 to 45 g, spawn 100,000 to 250,000 eggs that are approximately 0.22 mm in diameter. Hatching occurs approximately 16 hours after fertilization.

The growth and survival of L. vannamei postlarvae is strongly dependent on temperature and salinity. When reared at temperatures of 20, 25, 30 and

35˚C and salinities of 20, 30, 35, 40 and 50 ppt, survival and growth coincide best at around 28-30˚C and 33 to 40 ppt (Ponce-Palafox et al. 1997). Survival of juveniles is severely compromised particularly at low salinities and high temperatures (Ponce-Palafox et al. 1997).

The native geographic range of L. vannamei in the wild www.fao.org - from Holthuis, L.B. 1980. FAO species catalogue. Vol.1. Shrimps and prawns of the world. An annotated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries (FAO Fish. Synop. (125) V.1: 261).

Basic shrimp anatomy. Courtesy of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Penaeid shrimp life-history (below). Courtesy of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Hatchery seawater filtration and cleaning systems.

Mature shrimp are held in large circular maturation tanks until the females spawn eggs (see photos above and below).

Shrimp larvae are fed unicellular algae in the beginning stages

In the hatchery, baby shrimp are fed algae and freshly hatched Artemia nauplii

Postlarval shrimp of various species (above and below)

At some farms, shrimp are stocked first into in-pond to give them a head start while outside temperatures in March are still too cold in Texas to support good growth of the tropical species L. vannamei, the Pacific white shrimp. At least 24 degrees C. pond water temp. is needed for growth.

Advanced PLs and early juveniles from nursery ready for pond stocking

St. Martin Seafood PL holding raceway. 8 feet wide X 40 feet long X one meter deep. 800,000 to 1 million PLs are stocked in each raceway (2,500-3,125/ft2) and held for one month while salinity is being dropped from hatchery salinity to lower salinity level in the ponds.

Aeration is provided to the raceways via blowers and water is heated to 28 degrees C with Titanium submersible heaters

PVC standpipes like these above with screen allow water to flow out of the thanks, but retains the PLs, and bag nets (left) are used to harvest the PLs in a drainage sump. PLs are then transported to the pond using a variety of methods. One such method is the use of PL transport tanks, as seen below.

When the shrimp have been in the greenhouse a month to six weeks they are released into the open pond when they are between 1 to 3 grams in size and the water temperature is at least 24 degrees C.

Shrimp are fed a pellet diet, usually with automated blower on trailer, pulled behind a tractor. Feed is blown into the pond from the bank.

A healthy juvenile shrimp eating a pellet diet with a full gut (photo by Henry Clifford).

Farms have found that it is a wise use of renewable natural resources to reuse or recirculate water. Some flow-through pond systems in the early 1990s used 4,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of shrimp. With the recirculation systems now in use they use 300 gallons of water to produce each pound of shrimp, and most of that is used to fill the ponds and off-set evaporation. The graph below shows the decrease in water used from 1994 to 2004. Recirculation pumps installed on the effluent canal at Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd. (the first shrimp farm to be built in Texas in the early 1980s).

Currently, there is no expansion of the saltwater shrimp farming industry in the U.S. as diversification and decreasing operations is the general trend. Use of recirculation techniques along the coast of Texas where the largest aquaculture production of shrimp in the U.S. occurs has addressed many effluent and problems.

Water reuse technologies have reduced needs in Texas from over 4,500 gallons for each pound of shrimp produced in the early 1990s to 300 gallons per pound produced currently (Treece and Hamper, 2002). Furthermore, newer technologies being researched by the Oceanic Institute and the USMSFP promise to eventually reduce water usage rates to less than 8 gallons of water per pound of shrimp produced (www.oceanicinstitute.org, 2007).

Harlingen Shrimp Farm provided estimates of water exchange, thought to be greater than, or equal to, most exchanging coastal farms in Texas (Kieth Gregg, March 2009):

Months of Operation: April - November = 216 days Maximum daily exchange: 3%. 2006 Total discharge: 1.384 billion gallons (daily operational exchange plus harvest) Total pond area: 346 acres Total pond volume: 1 million gallons/acre X 346 acres = 346,000,000 gallons Daily discharge: 6,407,407 gallons/day. Average daily discharge %: 6,407,407 (daily discharge)/346,000,000 (total pond volume) X100 = 1.85% of their total.

Recirc. Pump on discharge canal at Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd. Bayview

Recirculation water entering an elevated canal to be reused.

Liming pond bottoms at Bowers, Collegeport, Texas.

5 acre growout pond with 2 hp paddle wheels and tractor PTO driven aerator

Created wetland used to filter the water before it is reused (above)

Water reuse pump at discharge canal (below)

Intake at South Texas Shrimp farm (below)

Baffel system to encourage solids to settle before discharge.

Although most of the Texas shrimp farms are located on the coast, there is one farm in West Texas.

Aerial photos of Permian Sea Organics in Imperial, Texas.

Bart Reid’s Permian Sea Shrimp Store in Imperial, Texas closed in 2008 (above)

At one time West Texas shrimp farms contributed significantly to the state’s overall farm-raised shrimp production. Six farms with almost 200 acres once made up the industry in West Texas, but only one farm remains in West Texas that is operating on a consistent basis, Permian Sea Organics. Permian Sea Organics (formerly Permian Sea Shrimp Company) in Imperial, Texas has 64 surface acres of ponds, but has only utilized part of the those ponds in recent years.

Shrimp Farming in Texas – 2008-2012

The shrimp farms in Texas are still struggling with low farm-gate prices and higher operating costs, making viable shrimp culture a real challenge. Feed costs jumped 25% in 2008. There were 7 commercial shrimp farms in operation in 2008 and one research facility that grew shrimp. There was only one owner (Michael Chew) that stocked shrimp in 2008 at the 450 acre Arroyo Aquaculture Assoc., and he only stocked 8 aces at AAA site. There were 6 separate commercial operations in 2009 and one research facility. There was also tilapia grown at the AAA site using water from their own well. Harlingen Shrimp Farms Ltd. shifted part of their shrimp hatchery to redfish or red drum a year earlier and they have some ponds stocked with fish. They are working at developing a market for redfish in the Rio Grande Valley and putting fresh redfish back on the local restaurant menus. HSFL stocked 337 acres with shrimp in 2008 and produced 520,000 pounds of shrimp, and on 337 acres in 2009 they harvested 466,000 pounds of shrimp, and on 157 acres they produced almost 300,000 lbs in 2010.

Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd., Bayview, Texas 2009 (left) 2010 (right)

Bowers (Harold and Reed) still farm shrimp on leased land in the Rio Grande Valley, where they have about 460 acres leased from the bank that owns Southern Star Shrimp Farm. The Bowers also stocked 349 acres at the Collegeport farm in 2008 and produced 1.8 million pounds of shrimp (average of 5,300 lbs/ac). They stocked 200 acres in the Valley in 2009 and harvested 1.1 million pounds (average 5,500 lbs/ac) and stocked 145 acres at Collegeport in 2009 and harvested 810,193 pounds (average 5,588 lbs/ac). The Bowers also have several catfish farms in operation outside Palacios and Danevang, a catfish hatchery near the Danevang farm and a catfish processing plant now operational, located in Palacios on highway 35, not far from their shrimp processing plant. The leased land in the Valley was not stocked by Bowers in 2010.

Bower’s Shrimp Farm, Collegeport, Texas

Bing Hung (previous owner of Southern Star) leased Southern Star (an 1,100- acre farm) to PetroSun on April 1, 2008. PetroSun planned to grow algae to produce biofuels, however, this did not work out and the lease did not happen. The farm (Southern Star) is for sale by Bank. Contact Ross Hardin at Ag Credit of South Texas in Weslaco. Phone (956) 447-5500. email [email protected]

Southern Star and Arroyo Aquaculture Association

Southern Star has 63, 10-ac. ponds and 94, 5-ac. ponds. The previous owner, Bing Hung, said permits for fish culture would be much easier to obtain than for shrimp, and reporting to TCEQ is only required twice a month with fish, but more with shrimp. The new owners would have to apply for discharge permit under the General Rule with TCEQ. Production would be over 100,000 lbs a year, which is the cut off production with TCEQ for the type of permit to apply for. The owner also confirmed that the farm is with Ag Credit, the office area of the farm, on the highway was financed with IBC (a different banking group) and the owner has possession of the land for the intake and discharge canals under separate title, of which the owner claims he has clear title to. The purchase of all 3 properties might be a challenge for any potential buyer. San Tung had 60 acres leased in 2009 and produced 200,612 pounds of shrimp.

Bart Reid, at Permian Sea Organics in Imperial stocked one pond (4 acres) with shrimp in 2008 and produced 7,000 lbs. and sold them as an organically-raised product. Bart Reid requested some Spotted Sea trout fingerlings from TPWD and received permission from the Lake Jackson hatchery, but Reid has not raised the funds yet for the project. He did not stock shrimp in 2009, but stocked 4 acres in 2010 and produced 1,100 lbs . of organic shrimp from 75,000 Pls stocked.

Permian Sea Organics, Imperial, Texas

Natural Shrimp International (later called Shrimp Station) grew 25,000 lbs of shrimp under greenhouses in La Coste (outside San Antonio) in 2008, but fell short of their projected goals and closed down in 2009 when their system had poor survival due mostly to bacterial infections (). They refunded in late 2010 and restocked, and the crop was harvested in 2011. 10,000 lbs of production was reported to TPWD in 2011.

Thanh Nguyen at St. Martin's Seafood in Palacios stocked 220 acres in 2008 and harvested over one million pounds and stocked 130 acres in 2009 and harvested 701,820 pounds, and from 130 acres stocked in 2010 harvested 428,570 lbs.

St. Martin’s Seafood, Palacios, Texas (2009 above, 2010 below)

The same farmers whom stocked in 2009, with a few exceptions stocked again in 2010. Bobby Edwards at Texas Sea Breeze, in Winnie-Stowell threw in the towel and stopped operation just before Hurricane Ike hit that part of the Texas coast. He said that TCEQ water fees were costing over $400/ac on his 30 acre farm, and even though there is supposed to be a $5,000 cap on TCEQ aquaculture discharge fees, he claimed that they were charging his farm $12,000/yr., plus every time he discharged, he had to pay for a water analysis, which were also expensive. Upon contacting a spokesperson at TCEQ the agency offered to look into Edwards’ complaint if he would supply them with receipts. He produced under a 100,000 lbs/yr and fell under the General Aquaculture Rule, according to USDA and EPA; however, TCEQ required his farm to be individually permitted. He did not stock in 2008 and Hurricane Ike damaged the ponds, so he has decided to get out of shrimp farming.

Texas Seabreeze Shrimp Co., Winnie, Texas (closed in 2008)

Charlie Chan at Austwell Aquafarms shifted from shrimp to catfish and is considering restocking some ponds with shrimp in 2010.

Austwell Aquafarms, Austwell, Texas

Austwell Aqua Farm Austwell, Texas (now catfish and tilapia)

Built 1995. Owner Charles Chan. Lives on site. POBox 125, Austwell, Texas 77950. Office phone: (361)286-3396. Historical Data: In 2004, with 12 ponds built (60 acres), Austwell experienced TSV outbreak. In 2005, 13 million PLs were stocked and 5.5 million harvested with average survival of 40.76%. Farm produced 244,764 lbs. of shrimp or an average of 4,079 lbs./ac. State average survival in 2005 was 50.21%. In 2006, 17 million PLs were stocked in 84 acres of ponds. 7.2 million shrimp were harvested with 41.83% average survival. 348,873 lbs. were produced or 4,153 lbs per acre average. In 2007, 10.5 million PLs were stocked and 3 million shrimp harvested with 29% survival. 50 acres were stocked and 136,490 lbs harvested, or an average of 2,729 lbs/ac/. In 2008, Austwell Aqua Farm shifted to channel catfish production and stocked approximately 7,000 fish per acre. In October 2009, the farm had fish ready to harvest. The farm had been 100% recirculation since a discharge permit was not given to the farm. The farm eventually received a discharge permit after trying to get one for 10 years. There are presently 20 ponds, of various sizes. The original plans call for 163 acres in pond production with 33 ponds. Austwell plans to stock some marine shrimp again at some point in the future, but is presently raising mostly catfish and tilapia.

Charles Chan demonstrating the $63,000 pond monitoring system, which gives a read-out on his computer of the important parameters in each pond and automatically turns on the aerators.

Austwell Aqua Farm equipment

Austwell Aqua Farm Ponds

Feed truck loading feed from feed silo

10 hp aerator on one of the Austwell Aqua Farm ponds

Birds in the Created Wetland/Settling Pond at Austwell

Charlie Chan was kind enough to host a tour of his farm for the

participants of the 38th US/Japanese Natural Resources and Aquaculture Panel, held October 2009 in Corpus Christi. This group met in Corpus in 1995 and meets in Japan every other year. A photo of his farm can be seen on the cover of their proceedings.

Interactions of Fisheries and Fishing Communities Related to Aquaculture Proceedings of the Thirty-eighth U.S.-Japan Aquaculture Panel Symposium

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Texas October 26-27, 2009

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-113

The story in Texas continues to be diversification to finfish to survive. The shrimp production from the state in 2010 continued to fall. In 2008 (3.7 million

pounds) , in 2009 (3.28 million pounds), but was 2.5 million pounds in 2010.

Background on West Texas Shrimp Farms

In 1972 two Ward County, Texas gravel pit operators, Hal Brown and Dean Phipps asked the local county agent to help them explore the possibility of using saline ground water in some of their gravel pits for aquaculture. In 1973 County Extension Agent Johnny Harris, with the assistance of Dr. James Davis and Dr. Jack Parker of Texas A&M University (both gentlemen now retired), stocked the first shrimp using the inland saline waters. Early experiments were crude and little data were obtained, other than survival, indicating the biological feasibility of shrimp cultivation in West Texas. Stocking continued, and gradually a body of information has been accumulated supporting commercial shrimp farming there. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Vernon Holcomb, Jack Parker (a different Jack Parker) and Charlie McKaskle all tried pilot shrimp farms inland. Holcomb’s ranch was in Stanton, Texas; Parker’s attempt was made in Crockett County near Iraan, Texas; and Mc Kaskle’s ranch was in Martin County. McKaskle produced commercial crops of shrimp (one in 1989 of 810 pounds per acre and another of 2,166 pounds per acre in 1990). In 1990 McKaskle produced 9,100 pounds of shrimp in 4.2 acres. The farms closed for several different reasons. Holcomb’s dried up during a drought year and Parker’s farm produced an average of 1,068 lbs./ac. in 1989 but could not get viable seed stock the following year and the bank took the farm.

Durwood Dugger conducted a feasibility study for the Pecos County Water Improvement District No. 3 in May 1991, which was entitled "The Feasibility of Aquaculture in Pecos County and Far West Texas". Only a few copies were printed and distributed. Dugger (Cultured Seafood Group, Inc., a shrimp and aquaculture consulting company) then turned the report into an article for Aquaculture Magazine titled “Aquaculture in the Permian Sea: A Texas Resource”. Later in 1991, the Water Improvement District in conjunction with Texas A&M constructed a pilot aquaculture facility near Imperial, Texas with several ponds. Shrimp were harvested in 1992 providing insight into equipment, feed, water, labor requirements, construction costs, and other costs of operation. Success in the production of shrimp demonstrated the biological feasibility but did not address economic and financial feasibility of shrimp production for the study area. Redfish and shrimp were grown at the pilot facility consisting of six one-acre ponds. The R&D facility had some problems with ponds sealing the first year, but produced 1,140 pounds of shrimp. The pilot helped pave the way for a commercial group from Florida (Triton) to come in on nearby property and build on the pilot success. In 1993 and 1994 Triton produced commercial crops of shrimp and then closed. The Triton farm was purchased by C.E. Selinger of

Odessa, Texas and a group from India and reopened as Pecos River Aquaculture in 2001. It also operated a few years and closed.

Production averages in the past from various farms in West Texas ranged from 3,000 to 4,500 lbs./ac. and some were higher. The highest production reported to this author was with the Super Shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris) in 1996 at the Regal Farm, where 6,000 lbs./ac. was reached, but have unconfirmed reports of even higher production per acre at individual farms on specific occasions.

The aquifer that the shrimp farms used in the Imperial area was the Cenozoic Alluvium, water remaining from the Permian Sea. All farms drew from the same source. Salinity varied from 10 ppt to 15 ppt. There are no fresh water zones in that area, and no discharge water left any of the farms. This water is not used in any other form of agriculture on a large scale. All soils are basically red clay in the Pecos River basin. Permian Sea Organics utilizes “organic culture” and they all try to stay as natural as possible with the culture techniques, to better utilize niche markets. Much of the product in West Texas was sold on the pond bank at harvest under tents like the one pictured below.

Ground water quantities are still unknown in West Texas and are a source of uncertainty. The Pecos County Water District formed a board to monitor water use from the aquifer, and Bart Reid is a member of the board.

Through the years at various farms and now at his own farm, Bart Reid has played a large pioneering roll in assisting West Texas farms. However, it has not become a viable industry, and Bart Reid’s Permian Sea Organics is the only remaining shrimp farm in West Texas. Bart was successful in marketing his shrimp by opening a shrimp store in Imperial for a few years, but it closed in 2005. The farm still caters to an organic market in California.

Bart Reid, Owner and General Manager of Permian Sea Organics, stocked

only 20 acres in 2005 and produced 20,000 pounds of shrimp. He stocked on a low density basis and raised the shrimp organically, feeding only 24 thousand pounds of feed and the shrimp utilized the natural productivity in the ponds for additional nutritional needs. The survival for the 2005 crop was 70%. As the name implies, Permian Sea Organics has an organic certification for the shrimp raised at the facility. As can be seen on the 2007 table of shrimp farm production in Texas, Permian Sea Organics stocked 800,000 PLs into 12 acres of ponds and harvested 400,000 animals, with a 50% survival. In 2008 there were 4 acres stocked with 400,000 Pls and 7,000 lbs produced. Bart Reid has worked for a number of years to make sure his own practices met the US standards for organic certification. Mainly, he avoided chemicals and , did not crowd shrimp in ponds and fed organic feed -- all in line with U.S. regulations. Marty Mesh, executive director of Florida Organic Growers in Gainesville, Florida, said his U.S-accredited group certified the shrimp "USDA organic" because Reid followed the rules. Reid thought this label might help his products compete with foreign shrimp flooding into the United States from Asia and . Bart Reid claims that he can charge $5 a pound wholesale for the organic shrimp, compared with $2 for conventional shrimp.

There is a long history of shrimp farming in West Texas, and it has not been easy for the operators whom took on the challenge in the remote area. According to Bart Reid of Permian Sea Organics, the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and Nichols State University formed the Organic Aquaculture Institute, Inc. (OAI), a nonprofit 501c3, and have been conducting research in organic marine fish and shrimp aquaculture at the Imperial farm. OAI is also doing extension and education as part of its mission. OAI has partnered with the International Initiative for Sustainable and Biosecure Aquafarming (IISBA). Michael Schwarz (Virginia Tech) says the mission of IISBA is to foster academic and industrial collaborations to establish new seafood manufacturing entities. This initiative will encourage sustained production of safe and wholesome seafood products. The initiative was an open collaboration among the Association Réunionnaise de Development de l'Aquaculture (ARDA; ), Virginia Tech Aquaculture center (USA), Blue Ridge Aquaculture Inc. (VA, USA), the Organic Aquaculture Institute (OAI; TX, USA), Institute Francais de Recherche pour l'Exploration de la Mer (IFREMER, France), INVE (Belgium), and the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (VSAREC, USA).

IISBA merges international programs of excellence in aquaculture research, extension and industrial application for comprehensive identification, prioritization and implementation of research from scientific validation to industrial realization. Other international private and research-oriented programs of excellence have expressed an interest in partnership with IISBA, and are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis for membership. IISBA had its inaugural reception at the WAS 2006 meeting in Bali, with high levels of interest expressed from aquaculture research, industry, and government programs and agencies around the world.

In West Texas , where a thriving shrimp industry once operated , 5 of the 6 farms are now out of business and acreage has dropped from 100 down to 10 hectare of operating shrimp ponds. The marine aquaculture industry is in need of high value alternative species to convert to in an effort to restart this industry and bring growth and prosperity to these rural areas. The organic movement in this country is helping to provide a high value niche that could be capitalized on by existing and prospective aquaculturists. The Organic Aquaculture Institute, Inc, is a not for profit company who’s mission is to study organic marine aquaculture and develop species and techniques for a new and profitable industry in rural areas. There is an effort in West Texas now to look into other aquatic species to culture to fill the organic seafood market. Requirements for USDA organic certification can be found on the following web site http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm.

Stocking Spotted Seatrout in West Texas salt water ponds

Permian Sea Organics (PSO) (a private company) and The Organic Aquaculture Institute (OAI), Inc. a not for profit 501c3 research company in Imperial, Texas (Pecos County) are trying to stock spotted seatrout in some of their salt water ponds. PSO and OAI have been doing either aquaculture R&D or commercial aquaculture in Pecos County since the 1980s. Bart Reid (a UT graduate) is the owner of PSO and Dr. Joan Holt (UTMSI, FAML) is on their (OAI’s) advisory board, as well as Mike Schwarz from Va. Tech. The purpose of the research started in 2008 is to test seatrout for organic culture with and without fishmeal diets. OAI is a non-profit so this is for research only at this point. If there is potential then somewhere down the line the possibilities of commercialization through PSO can be accessed. Bart Reid’s Permian Sea Organics started the first organic shrimp farm in the USA. PSO has worked with USFWS and TPWD on the constructed wetlands and conservation of the Pecos pupfish and mosquito fish. Dr.Garry Garrett is the contact person within TPWD on this special project.

Bart Reid worked with seatrout for years with Connie Arnold and Joan Holt at UTMSI, and thinks seatrout has greater potential than redfish and cobia for future culture in West Texas. West Texas and PSO is virtually quarantined from any other body of water. There are reduced chances of disease transfer or escapes. This is why PSO has been granted several research permits from Texas Parks and Wildlife for a variety of exotic species, not allowed on the coast. As it stands presently, the request for fish (spotted sea trout) for West Texas has been given to TPWD in Flour Bluff (Dr. Robert Vega and Robert Adami) and they sent the request to TPWD in Austin. At the time this was written (April 2010) TPWD has not reached a decision yet on whether to provide the requested fish to PSO and OAI.

According to USDA’s Economic Information Bulletin No 36, the organic foods sector of the USA has expanded rapidly over the last decade, as retail sales of organic food increased to $15.7 billion in 2006. As sales have grown, so have the number and types of outlets selling organic products. USDA’s Economic Research Service surveyed certified organic intermediaries in the United States to collect information on basic characteristics of the sector in 2004, as well as its marketing and procurement practices. This report uses the survey findings to present a baseline view of the organic handling sector. A large share of organic handlers are mixed operations that handle both organic and conventional products, and most began as conventional firms that converted to handling organic products. Most organic products are sold domestically, with nearly three- quarters sold nationally or regionally. More than three-quarters of the firms are independent, and most are small. Handlers seek suppliers with a reputation for providing high-quality products. Most transactions between handlers and suppliers occur under contract, reportedly so that handlers can procure ingredients essential for their businesses.

Source: Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-36) 31 pp, May 2008

Pump and reservoir on shrimp farm in West Texas.

West Texas Saline Groundwater References

1. Armstrong, C.A. and L.G. McMillan. 1961. Geology and Groundwater Resources of Pecos County, Texas: Texas Board of Water Engineers Bull. 6106. Vol. 1 & 2. 2. Ashworth, J.B. 1990. Evaluation of Groundwater Resources in Parts of Loving, Pecos, Reeves, Ward and Winkler Counties, Texas: Texas Water Development Board Report. 317. 51p. 3. Ashworth, J.B. 1990. Preliminary Groundwater Availability for Aquaculture Production in the Trans Pecos Region of Texas. Prepared for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (TAEX) in Pecos County. 4. Britt, D.W. 1995. Economic and financial implications of shrimp farming in West Texas. Master’s Thesis TAMU Dept. of Agric. Economics. College Station, Texas. 5. Dugger, D. May 1991. "The Feasibility of Aquaculture in Pecos County and Far West Texas", May 1991. Pecos County Water Improvement Dist. No. 3. 6. Forsberg, J.A., P.W. Dorsett and W.H. Neill. 1996. Survival and Growth of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) in Saline Groundwaters of West Texas, USA. J. World Aqua. Soc. 27:462-474. 7. Forsberg, J.A. and W.H. Neill. 1997. Saline Groundwater as Aquaculture Medium: Physiological Studies on Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Envir. Biol. Fishes 49: 119-128. 8. Harrison, E.J. 1976. Saline Water “Laying In Wait” in Ward County, Texas. Agricultural Education. 685p. 9. Rees, R.W. 1987. Records of Wells, Water Levels, Pumpage, and Chemical Analyses From Selected Wells in Parts of the Trans-Pecos Region, Texas 1968- 1980: Texas Water Development Board Report 301. 325p. 10. Suplee, M.W. and J.B. Cotner. 1995. The Influence of Organic Carbon on Oxygen Dynamics and Bacterial Sulfate Reduction in Inland Shrimp Ponds. Submitted to Aquaculture. Status of publication unknown. 11. Treece, G. D. 1993. Texas Aquaculture: History and Growth Potential for the 1990s. Texas A&M University, Sea Grant College Program pub. 103, 44 p. 12. White, D.E. 1971. Water Resources of Ward County, Texas: Texas Water Development Board Report 125. 235p.

Part of the problem in West Texas shrimp farming is the remote location, making it harder to get PLs, processing and limited markets. Most of the shrimp were sold fresh at the pond at harvest. Another problem experienced in West Texas by some farms and on some Arizona shrimp farms was blue green algae. During July and August, when optimum pond temperatures for shrimp should be at 84 degrees F (28 degrees C), the West Texas area often has cloudy days during its ‘monsoon’ season. Even though it receives little rainfall, and is considered semi-arid, it can still be cloudy for weeks at a time, encouraging blue greens. These shrimp died as a result of toxic blue green algae.

Shrimp mortality due to blue green algae toxins (below)

Blue green algal mats from pond bottom (lab-lab). (above)

Blue green algae can take over a pond and kill shrimp.

Blue green algae slim floating on surface of pond

Blue green algae around the edge of a pond

Benthic mat covering the pond bottom, from deep to shallow water (photo from Josh Wilkenfeld, taken at an Arizona shrimp farm).

Tucker Farms, Grandfalls, Texas (now out of business)

Problem: clear ponds and could not maintain algae bloom. Ponds go clear but DO remains high at night and super high during the day. Blue green algae took over.

Source water: salinity 10-15 ppt well water. pH 7, 200-240 ppm alkalinity.

Ponds: Three 4-acre ponds with intensive stock of L. vannamei and sufficient aeration via paddlewheels.

Problem ponds: pH 9, alkalinity 40-80 ppm. PO4 – 5ppm. Nitrogen level unknown.

Water Chemistry Pond Date Time Temp DO mg/L pH Alkalinity PO4 Nitrite NH3-N 1 7/26 2200 hrs 27.3 8.73 9 40-80 5 0 0 0.25 2 " 2200 hrs 27.3 7.91 9 40-80 5 0 0 0.25 3 " 2200 hrs 27.3 7.35 8 120-180 15 0 0 0.25

Fertilizer:

Initial used for 12 acres was 800 lbs.18-46-0 and 30 gals. Liquid Urea. In July switched fertilizer to 46-0-0. His water tester (paper strips) indicated 5 ppm phosphate up to 15ppm in one pond. Trying to find 0-46-0 and go with quantity ratios suggested (10N:1P to 20N:1P, by weight).

Fertilization schedule Pond Date blend rate (lbs)

1 07/22 46-0-0 20

2 " 46-0-0 20 3 " 46-0-0 10 1 07/24 46-0-0 20 2 " 46-0-0 20 1 07/25 46-0-0 35 2 " 46-0-0 35 3 " 46-0-0 35 3 07/26 46-0-0 15 8/01. Used copper on second problem pond. Applied at a rate of 0.8 ppm or 10 gals. 8/02 Flush and fertilize heavy with 10N:1P to 20N:1P.

Initial I.D. of algae in ponds conducted by Dr. Ken Hasson :

3 species found. Anabaena (Cyanobacteria or bluegreen), a diatom, and one other species.

Shrimp mortality occurred at night. Shrimp shells were soft. Some gill tips were noted to be black, but not very prominent. Some were enlarged. Shrimp

were seen swimming in schools or “marching” around the edge of pond at night and did not respond to light as they normally do.

Disease tests:

Animals sent to Dr. Ken Hasson and Dr. Patricia Varner. Negative. No HE seen. Cuticle irregularities noted.

Water and soil tests were conducted.

Possible problems and possible solutions:

1. Phosphorus level high. 5ppm to 15ppm. Villalon recommends 0.15ppm P and 1.3 ppm N in ponds to maintain beneficial . 2. Possible low level of Potassium in water (full strength sea water should be 100-400 ppm). K has been found to be a problem at inland farms in Alabama and Arizona. (Water test needed). If found to be low, add KMAG as Dennington Moss has done in Al. (his K was running 6-8 ppm)., or add 800 lbs/acre potash to bring K concentrations to about 40 ppm. as Dr. David Teichert-Coddington,with Green Prairie Aqua Farms has done in Al. He uses 40 ppm because it is about 10% of seawater strength K, and their salinity (3.5 ppt) is about 10% of seawater. Their K concentrations otherwise run between 4 and 6 ppm. Tucker’s water samples were sent to two different laboratories for analysis.

3. High CO2 at night. Optimum CO2 1-10 ppm., and may be as high as 60ppm if O2 is high. But if O2 is low, then high CO2 can be a problem. (test for CO2). He is going to test for high CO2 as soon as he gets reagent for test kit. 4. Low alkalinity – he is going to add baking soda to reservoir and see if that helps since it is only $0.03/lb. Standard recommendation of alkalinity is a minimum of 100 ppm if pH is below 7.8.

Other problems identified with shrimp in Texas. These are wild caught shrimp.

“Black gill disease” from Gulf of Mexico white shrimp, identified by Varner and Hasson and caused by Apostome ciliate.

Southern Star Shrimp Farm in Arroyo City, Texas. Farm is now for sale.

A shrimp harvest by Bowers Valley Farm on leased property at Southern Star Shrimp Farm (Arroyo Aqua Farms) in South Texas.

A shrimp harvest by Bowers Shrimp at Collegeport farm.

Automated shrimp harvester used by most farms now.

Shrimp are placed on ice in plastic insulated totes for transport to processing plant. Most totes hold 800 lbs. to 1,000 lbs of shrimp and ice.

A very large penaeid shrimp

Desired Water Characteristics for Saltwater Shrimp Culture (All parameters in ppm (mg/L) unless noted otherwise)

Element Form in water Desired concentration Notes - Bicarbonate Bicarbonate ion (HCO3 ) 75 – 300

- Boron Borate (H3BO3, H2BO3 ) 0.05 –1 See 1 Cadmium (Cd) <0.1 Calcium Calcium ion (Ca2+) 100 - 500 Carbon Carbon dioxide (CO2) 1 - 10 2 - Carbonate Carbonate ion(CO 3 ) 0 – 20 Chloride Chloride ion (Cl-) 2,000 –20,000 Chromium (Cr) <0.05 Copper Copper ion (Cu2+) <0.0005 See 1 Total Copper 0.0005 – 0.01 Flouride (F) <1.3 Hydrogen H+[-log(H+)=pH] pH 7 – 9 See 2 Iron See 1 Ferrous iron (Fe2+) 0 Ferric iron (Fe3+) Trace Total iron 0.05 – 0.5

Lead (Pb) <0.03

Magnesium Magnesium ion (Mg2+) 100 – 1,500 Manganese Manganese ion(Mn2+) 0 Manganese dioxide (MnO2) Trace Total manganese 0.05 – 0.2 Mercury (Hg) <0.05 Molybdenum Molybdate (MoO3) Trace Nitrogen Molecular nitrogen (N2) Saturation or less + Ammonium (NH4 ) 0.2 – 2 Ammonia (NH3) <0.1 - Nitrate (NO3 ) 0.2 – 10 - Nitrite (NO2 ) <0.23 Oxygen Molecular oxygen (O2) 5 - 15 See 3 2- - Phosphorus Phosphate ion (HPO4 ), (H2PO4 ) 0.005 – 0.2 Potassium Potassium ion (K+) 100 - 400 Salinity 5,000 – 35,000 - Silicon Silicate (H2SiO3, HSiO3 ) 2 - 20 Sodium Sodium (Na+) 2,000 – 11,000 Sulfur 2- Sulfate (SO4 ) 500 – 3,000 Hydrogen Sulfide <0.02(preferably not detectable) Suspended Solids <100 Temperature 26-29oC(Tropicalshrimp) See 4 Turbidity See 5 Zinc See 1 Zinc ion (Zn2+) <0.01 Total zinc 0.01 – 0.05 1 – The desirable ranges for these substances are poorly understood. The values listed as the desired concentrations are actually the usual concentrations of these trace metals in surface waters.

2 – pH directly influences shrimp (pH of 4 = acid death point; 4-5 = no reproduction; 4-6 = slow growth; 6-9 = best growth; 9-11 = slow growth; 11 = alkaline death point).

3 - O2 for growth, 2-3 ppm minimum. 4 – Temperature for tropical shrimp. For growth, 23-25 oC minimum, and 33-34 oC maximum. 5 - Turbidity (Goal is Secchi disk reading of 25-40 cm (10-16 in.) and water color of yellowish- brown).

COMPARISON OF WATER CHEMISTRY FROM ARIZONA SHRIMP FARMS AND SOURCES Source: Josh Wilkenfeld

"Good" DILUTE Arizona Arizona Ewing SEA Water, Desert Sweet COMPONENT SEA Mariculture Shrimp Co. Shrimp WATER Extrapolated Shrimp (Lab & (mg/l) WATER Water (Lab & (Lab & Farm (www.) from Saoud Boyd) (Calc.) Boyd) Boyd) (Boyd) et al (2002)

Salinity (ppt) 35.0 5.0 4.2 4.9 7.4 1.5 4.6 pH 8.2 ND ND 7.3 7.6 7.8 7.9 Alkalinity 125.0 ND ND 55.0 220.0 137.0 174.4

Cl 19,400.0 2,771.4 3,191.2 1,800.0 3,223.0 530.0 2,339.0 Na 10,500.0 1,500.0 1,835.8 1,500.0 2,595.0 410.0 1,610.0 SO4 2,740.0 391.4 3.1 1,800.0 2,313.0 343.0 857.0 Mg 1,272.0 181.7 37.0 36.0 222.0 12.0 113.0 Ca 400.0 57.1 171.8 520.0 497.0 120.0 319.0 K 380.0 54.3 11.8 10.0 15.2 10.0 13.0

B 4.45 0.64 1.06 6.30 5.48 0.72 3.69

P 0.09 0.01 0.05 0.21 ND 0.11 ND Ba 0.02 - 2.80 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.03 Mo 0.01 - 0.13 ND ND ND ND Al <0.01 - - ND 0.90 - 0.19 Cr <0.01 - 0.60 ND ND ND ND Fe <0.02 - 1.10 <0.01 2.10 - - Mn <0.01 - 0.13 <0.01 1.34 - - Zn <0.01 - 0.17 0.02 0.08 - 0.08

Mg:Ca 3:1 3:1 1:5 1:14 1:2 1:10 1:3

Na:K 28:1 28:1 155:1 150:1 171:1 41:1 124:1

Shrimp Processors in Texas

Bowers Shrimp Processing Plant Rt. #1, Box 534 Palacios, TX 77465 Ph: 361/972-2414 Fax: 361/972-2422 Email addresses: [email protected] [email protected] Harold and Reed Bowers, Owners Mike Hooper, Manager

Rich-SeaPac Corporate Office in Georgia Tel. (800) 654-9731 Ray Jones, Quality control, ext. 3051 Dave Moleman, ext. 3324, 3344. (912)264-0097 Brownsville, Texas Plant 3555 E. 14th St. Brownsville, Texas 78521 Ph: 956/542-0001 956/504-4401 Contacts: Hugo Bridger

South Texas Processors 1130 N Expressway 77 Harlingen, TX 78550 Ph: 956-425-9909 Robert Dalzell, Owner/Manager

Texas Pack, Inc. P.O. Box 1643 Port Isabel, Tx 78578 Ph: 956/943-5461.

Tex-Mex Processing Plant 6665 E. 14th Street P.O. Box 4960 Brownsville, TX 78523 Ph: 956/831-4531 Fax: 956/831-4081 Email: [email protected] Robert Sanchez, General Manager

Plastic insulated totes with shrimp at Bowers IQF processing plant

Farm raised shrimp on conveyor at South Texas Processors in Harlingen, Texas.

Texas Star, one of Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd.’s brands. Some shrimp are frozen with the heads on, and some marine shrimp are de-headed and frozen in 5 lb. boxes. HSF was purchased by Kava Farms in 2012.

Workers de-heading farm-raised shrimp at Bowers Plant in Palacios (all of the shrimp at this operation are now IQF with head-on, there is little de-headed product any more.

De-heading shrimp in Tex-Mex processing plant (above). Workers are often paid per the bucket of tails turned in.

Five pounds of shrimp tails, glazed with water and frozen in plastic bag and waxed box.

Bowers Shrimp Processing Plant in Palacios. Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) Plant. Most of the shrimp now are frozen head-on.

Shrimp are INDIVIDUALLY QUICK FROZEN (IQF) with head on or head off and placed in plastic bags in boxes for cold storage.

Several shrimp and marine finfish processing plants are available in Texas. One example of a shrimp processing plant for lease is as follows:

Processing Plant for Lease: 947 S. Williams Road. San Benito, TX 78586

Site Description: Brownsville 29 miles. McAllen 30 miles. Free Trade Bridge 9 miles. Storage: 40,000 SF plus 8,000 SF dry storage Office: 1,200 SF Inspection Office: 100 SF Production office: 250 SF Lab: 400 SF Employee Lounge: 1,200 SF Locker- Room Bathrooms to accommodate 150 employees IQF stays, capacity @ 4,000 #’s per hour Blast Freezer 50,000 #’s per day Entire bldg. temp. controlled at 60 degrees Eaves: 24' Dock Doors: 4 with curtains Cold Storage Area Refrigerated Dock Area Truck Court Parking Contact: David E. Allex, Broker / Owner (956) 425.6199 / (956) 245.7007 [email protected].

Approximately sixty-two percent of the shrimp weight is retained in the tail and the heads are discarded or used in compost or other recycled methods such as making chitin for various uses. At most plants, tails are frozen over night in a blast freezer, after being glazed with water and placed in plastic bags for freezer protection. They are kept in waxed boxes at minus 20 degrees C until sold.

In the past, most imported shrimp came to the U.S. in the ‘green headless’ form (shell on, head off), frozen in 5 lb. box, but more and more shrimp is now coming in as a frozen, peeled product or even frozen, peeled, and breaded. Other countries are gearing up for more ‘value adding’ such as peeling and breading, so in the future more shrimp will be coming into the US that is a value- added product. Value is added in the processing after harvest.

Peeled Shrimp (above)

(above) Fresh shrimp tails are offered at Bayou Seafood Market in Corpus Christi. 36-40 count (36 to 40 tails per pound) for $4.69/lb. 16-20 ct. for $7.99/lb. 10-15 ct. for $8.99/lb. Size does make a difference in price with shrimp.

Shrimp dishes

Shrimp farming has been one of the fastest growing aquaculture sectors in Asia, Latin America and recently, Africa, but also one of the most controversial. Regulations in those developing countries are generally less stringent than in the US. Rapid expansion of shrimp farming has generated substantial income for many developing countries, as well as developed countries, but has been accompanied by rising concerns over environmental and social impacts of development. Major issues raised include the ecological consequences of conversion of natural , particularly areas, for construction of shrimp ponds; the effects such as salination of groundwater and agricultural land; use of in shrimp diets; pollution of coastal waters due to pond effluents; issues arising from collection of wild broodstock and larvae; and social conflicts in some coastal areas. The sustainability of shrimp aquaculture has been questioned by some in view of self-pollution in shrimp growing areas, combined with the introduction of pathogens, leading to major shrimp disease outbreaks such as TSV and WSSV and major economic losses in producing countries.

Sustainable Shrimp Farming Certification Schemes

One approach to sustainable shrimp farming is "national branding," whereby the production and marketing capability of each country will be put to a severe test in the open global market arena. In a related vein is the growing trend toward labeling or certification. For certification to be recognized and accepted, it is also essential to have an accreditation system for certifiers.

There is increasing interest in certification for shrimp products, and an increasing number of approaches covering eco-labeling, organic certification and recently, fair trade. The growing number of certification programs and possible competition among certification approaches has the potential to result in confusion among buyers and consumers.

World Shrimp Certification Programs

1. Alter-Trade Japan (ATJ) is a Japanese company involved in fair trade with several commodities including , coffee and shrimp. The shrimp were labeled by ATJ as "eco-shrimps" based on their own standards. Since 2000, ATJ has worked with Naturland to develop a certified organic shrimp product, using Naturland organic standards. The two groups merged in 2003 to form ATJNA to further work toward better management of production, processing and organic certification of shrimp.

2. Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc. (ACC) is a nongovernmental body established to certify social, environmental and food safety standards at

aquaculture facilities throughout the world. It is a certification of the process or how the shrimp were produced and not a quality certification. The Missouri nonprofit, nonmember public benefit corporation builds on elements of the voluntary responsible aquaculture program by Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) in a process certification system that combines site inspections and effluent sampling with testing and verification, sanitary controls, therapeutic controls and traceability. Guidelines for BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) standards can be found on the ACC web site at www.aquaculturecertification.org.

AQUACULTURE CERTIFICATION COUNCIL, INC. (ACC) 12815 72nd Avenue Northeast Kirkland, Washington 98034

The BAP mark on retail packaging means the shrimp came from a BAP-certified facility. Visit ACC web site for more detail.

3. Carrefour is the first retailer in Europe and second largest in the world. They are involved in fair-trade of Carrefour Quality Line shrimp produced in Brazil and Madagascar.

4. Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has prepared a draft protocol for sustainable shrimp aquaculture as part of their campaign to encourage retailers “to only sell shrimp proven to be produced without harming natural environments, local communities or human rights.”

5. International Standards Organization (ISO). ISO 14001 is the standard for environmental management, not for a product, but for minimizing harmful effects on the environment caused by shrimp farming. More information can be found at ISO 14001 website. (ISO14001 is protected by copyright and is not available free).

6. Naturland has developed standards on several aquaculture commodities and issued its standards on organic shrimp production in 1999. “Naturland Standards

for organic Aquaculture – Jan/2005 version” includes a specific section for pond culture of white shrimp.

7. Safe Quality Food (SQF) is a program under Food Marketing Institute (FMI). The certification system SQF1000 is for production and SQF2000 is for processing plants. SQF covers wide ranges of products around the world, for shrimp products. Thus far four processors are certified under the SQF1000 program, but no producers.

8. Shrimp Seal of Quality (SSoQ) of , was established to certify farmed shrimp, based on their own Code of Conduct. These Certification Standards describe the requirements that must be met by shrimp operators (hatcheries, farmers, transporters and processors) in order to receive SSoQ certification. SSoQ is a voluntary process certification and certifies that the operator is deemed to have met the minimum requirements in the areas of food safety, quality assurance, traceability, environmental sustainability, labor practices and social responsibility.

9. Soil Association. The soil association has prepared general standards for organic aquaculture, mainly focused on salmon, trout and shrimp farming.

10. Thai Quality Shrimp (Thailand). The Department of Fisheries of Thailand prepared the certification system for shrimp aquaculture, with the intention of producing shrimp under their Codes of Conduct. The certification covers hatchery, farm, processing plant and distributor and promote the products under the label “Thai Quality Shrimp.”

Other Closely Related Aquaculture Certifications

1. BioGro New Zealand has developed standards for organic fish farming including fish, shellfish, crustaceans and the processing of those products.

2. Bio Suisse is an umbrella organization for organic agriculture in Switzerland. Bio Suisse is certifying farmed fish such as carp, char and perch. The standards only apply to inland and fresh water farming and are designed for the Swiss market.

3. Fundacion Chile in cooperation with Chilean salmon farming companies prepared an Environmental Code of Practice that is intended to serve as the basis for a Certification System for Chilean Salmon Farming. Their code of practice is translated into the English, Norwegian, Spanish, and German languages.

4. International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) is a

global umbrella body for organic food and farming. IFOAM has drawn up "Basic Standards for Organic Aquaculture."

5. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been working on standards for organic aquaculture. The National Organic Standards Board (web site: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/index.htm) has been working on US organic standards for aquatic animals.

There are presently some very large seafood buyers in the US (Dardin Seafoods [Red Lobster], Walmart/Sam's Club) that require their seafood suppliers to have such certifications. Others will follow. Despite these positive signs there is no evidence that U.S. consumers will buy domestic products over foreign, especially when given the choice and they find a superior quality product that is safe and less expensive. Seafood imports are at an historic high level, and ironically 40-50% are estimated to be farmed products. Therefore, the long- term outlook for the U.S. producer continues to be head-to-head competition with overseas producers. Foreign competition, particularly from developing countries, will continue to offer similar low-priced commodities in the marketplace. This is because those nations have their own goals to increase aquaculture production in coming years, and they have justified loans from international development banks on the lucrative seafood markets in Europe, Japan and the U S. They have planned to repay their loans through the sale of high-value products made profitable by low labor and operating costs, and a greater amount of processing to obtain the value-added benefits. Provided that their aquaculture products meet the higher standards of human health and safety, now imposed by most of the world on all food products, seafood producers in the US will always face competition for market share.

L. vannamei Seems to Be Species of Choice in the World

The species of choice worldwide, now seems to be Litopenaeus vannamei, the Pacific White shrimp. According to the USMSFP, although some breeding companies claim a high health status for , the fact of the matter is the mondon market is declining rapidly because it is just too expensive to raise them. Related is that vannamei can grow as fast as monodon to the 18-20 gm market size, and it is not all that worth growing monodon to 30 gms to just get a little higher market price. Selectively bred vannamei will grow up to 30 gms just as fast as well. The world is switching to vannamei, and the word is it will take a long time for monodon to come back if at all. In fact, Vietnam, the , India, and Malaysia have already/or are going to open up their boarders to vannamei. However, there are some US companies working on the domestication of Peneaus monodon.

According to Henry Clifford, "Domestication" refers to selective breeding (e.g.

Specific Pathogen Resistant or SPR), whereas "high health" refers to pathogen status (e.g. Specific Pathogen Free or SPF). SPF shrimp are certified clean animals that were produced in a certified clean facility. "High health" animals are produced in a facility that has not necessarily been certified as "disease-free", but which received SPF animals (usually broodstock or nauplii) from a certified SPF facility. For example, when Shrimp Improvement Systems (SIS, a company in Florida, owned by CPP, the Indonesian ‘arm’ of CP) sells their SPF broodstock to a Texas hatchery (Harlingen Shrimp Farms, Ltd), as soon as those broodstock arrive at the Harlingen hatchery, they are no longer considered SPF; they are considered "high health". SIS in Florida is owned by CPP and is the world's leading shrimp breeding and broodstock suplier company, with a ten-year old genetic improvement program specializing in vannamei. You may find more information on SIS at their web site: www.shrimpimprovement.com. CP also owns a startup company in Hawaii working on breeding of monodon, which is managed by Joe Tabrah.

Other US companies are also working on monodon. The emphasis thus far has been more on producing SPF monodon, rather than on the selective breeding aspect. Moana Technologies in Hawaii (owned by the same people who own INVE); High Health Aquaculture, Inc. in Hawaii (Dr. James Wyban); Dr. George Chamberlain’s operation in Brunei (assisted by Chris Howell), and CSIRO, all have genetic programs for SPF monodon. Most claim that they are working on selective breeding of monodon, but the problem is that most are still at F-5 or younger, so they have a ways yet to go. Dr. James Wyban’s High Health Aquaculture, Inc. in Hawaii (web site http://www.hihealthshrimp.com/) has F-9 (ninth generation) monodon now with very good reproduction from their stock and great growth performance (personal communication with Jim Wyban on 5/13/08). HHAI is developing a red-stripe strain of monodon to develop an exclusive brand.

Many groups are finding it hard to keep their animals at SPF status. High Health Aquaculture, Inc. and Moanatech offer SPF monodon. Dr. George Chamberlain and Chris Howell are also working on this, but they are focusing first on getting clean animals. CSIRO has probably been working on SPF-SPR monodon as long as Moanatech and High Health Aqua. Inc., and they may have achieved success, but they do not try to aggressively commercialize their technology like Moanatech and HHAI have.

So if someone is looking for "high health" monodon, they can find them at Moana Technologies in Hawaii, High Health Aquaculture Inc. in Hawaii, or Dr. George Chamberlain, at GAA in St. Louis, MO.

High Health Aquaculture, Inc. – Hawaii

SPF Animals are Screened and Certified  Animals are screened and certified to be free of: Virus (WSSV), Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV), Yellow Head Virus (YHV), IHHN Virus (IHHNV), HPV, MBV, Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV), Microsporidians, Haplosporidians, Gregarines, BP/MBV, and NHP. 

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World Shrimp Farming: Industry Status

Marine shrimp farming has grown into a $5 billion industry despite its almost exclusive dependence on wild stocks, unsophisticated breeding practices, limited disease control programs, and extensive use of fragile coastal ecosystems. In recent years, however, world shrimp farming revenues have taken a downturn. This loss has been attributed to deteriorating stock quality, reduced availability wildstocks, and exacerbated disease breakouts. Devastating epizootics due to , , unidentified pathogens and toxic agents continue to severely damage the industry each year. Many countries, even in Asia, have shifted their culture to the Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. For many years Bob Rosenberry’s Shrimp News International web site at http://www.shrimpnews.com/index.html, was a great source for world shrimp aquaculture information. However, Bob informed his followers this year that he was retiring and retiring the web site.

US Shrimp Aquaculture Outlook in 2012

Basically, things are looking better for shrimp farming, at least in the short term for sure and maybe the long term as well, because with so few shrimp producers remaining in the US, the demand for home-grown products is up. US consumers are requesting US-grown products, especially since USDA Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) now informs them where the products are coming from. For biosecurity reasons and for environmental reasons, the US consumer is asking more for home-grown products because they know the products are grown under the strictest regulations compared to other countries that don't have those environmental regulations in place. There are numerous watch-dog and certification groups that try to assist their members buy the best seafood. Monterrey Bay Aquarium and others across the country have a seafood purchase rating system and approved US farm-raised shrimp and placed their status high on the suggested purchase list in comparison to other seafood sources available. The organic industry has also turned things around in the seafood industry. Companies like Whole Foods and other "organic" produce companies are offering more for the locally grown shrimp. Whole Foods is making a push to feature more local produce and is seeking out vendors that meet its strict criteria: no preservatives, no artificial colors, no MSG and no hydrogenated oils. David Teichert-Coddington, founder of Greene Prairie Aquafarms in Alabama, started the farm with fellow retired Auburn professor H.R. Schmittou. The two are raising Pacific white shrimp in ponds fed by an ancient saltwater aquifer that is 650 feet below the surface. No chemicals or preservatives, like sulfites, are used during processing. David told me that in 2011 he was able to sell his whole crop of shrimp to Whole Foods before they harvested. This represents the first time he sold his whole crop before it was harvested. Mark Godwin at Woods Fisheries in Port St. Joe, Florida does the same thing with a reputable organic seafood buyer from the Atlantic coast. He sold most of his crop to them in 2011 and is expanding the farm in 2012.

The price of farm-raised shrimp has also come up which is making a big difference on the bottom line. The 25% increase in feed cost in 2008 really hurt the aquaculture industry in the US, from catfish to red drum to hybrid striped bass to shrimp, but the feed costs have improved since then, and feed is the most expensive overhead cost. Catfish prices are also up above $1.25/lb and for the same reasons (fewer catfish producers in the US now) the catfish producers that were able to make it through the hard times are now enjoying the profits.

As long as farm gate prices hold and overhead prices remain about the same the outlook for US aquaculture is good, including catfish, shrimp and red drum.

Shrimp Farming and Marine Finfish Culture Course in Texas

The 27th Annual Texas Shrimp Farming and Marine Finfish Farming Short Course is offered by the Texas A&M University System, The University of Texas and cooperating commercial farms and research facilities in Texas on Sept. 26- Oct. 2, 2012. More information can be seen on the web link: http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu/OurPrograms/ShrimpCourse2012.html .

Crawfish

There are approximately 20 crawfish producers in the state on 1,500 acres, producing around 800,000 lbs/yr., worth $1 million.

Red Swamp crawfish above (Photo from Dr. Ray McClain)

Crawfish Pond and aeration (Photos from Ray McClain)

Harvested crawfish on ice (Photo from Ray McClain)

Boiling Crawfish

Boiled crawfish (Photo from Dr. Ray McClain)

Boiled crawfish platter (Photo from Dr. Ray McClain)

“Texas CRAWDADS”, by Dr. Ken Johnson and Nathan K. Johnson. http://www.texascrawdads.com/

There is an Internet link to the Louisiana Crawfish Production Manual, produced by LSU. This manual covers many important aspects on the culture of crawfish, located at: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/crops_livestock/aquaculture/crawfish/. The publication is free and the direct link to the manual is: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/crops_livestock/aquaculture/crawfish/Crawfish+Pr oduction+Manual.htm

There is a publication entitled “2008 Projected Commodity Costs and Returns, Crawfish Production in Louisiana” from the Farm Management Research & Extension Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, LSU Ag Center, A.E.A. Information Series No. 257 - January 2008 by Robert W. Boucher and Jeffrey M. Gillespie. This publication provides the projected costs and returns for crawfish production in Louisiana for 2008.

Tilapia

Texas Tilapia farms have produced an estimated 600,000 lbs. worth $1.1 million in 2005-2010, and those farms had a 1 million pound production capacity. The tilapia farm-gate value of $1.85/lb went down as low as $1.10/lb, but is coming back up. More than 18 million pounds of tilapia were produced in USA annually in the same period. Simaron Fresh Water Fish, Inc., outside Hempstead, Texas, produced approximately 460,000 lbs. of tilapia annually in outdoor ponds during the summer and in raceways, tanks and covered ponds during the winter months. But this all changed in 2011. Simaron was put up for sale and in 2011 Texas only produced 150,000 lbs of tilapia with two producers. Charlie Chan at Austwell was the second producer in the state.

Large niloticus male

Red tilapia in pond under a greenhouse at Simaron in Hempstead, Texas

Red tilapia in raceway at Simaron Fresh Water Fish

Fish filleting machine

Tilapia fillets.

Tilapia are considered exotic species in Texas, but 3 species are permitted for aquaculture in Texas. Tilapia demand is growing but imports are also growing.

Simaron 25923 Nelson Rd. Hempstead, TX 77445. Tel. (979) 826-3554 Fax (979) 826-4308.

Description: Simaron Fresh Water Fish is an intensive, indoor recirculating and outdoor summer production Tilapia facility. Simaron is also in the live fish distribution business, selling to the Asian and Hispanic markets in Texas. They also produced 80,000 stocker fish for ponds in 2011.

Past Tilapia Culture in East Texas (photos from Ken Hale) Tilapia (mosambique) was grown by Ken Hale at Boatcycle as forage and for vegetation control in Henderson, Texas. In 2006 they produced 16,000 lbs. for sale in 2007, and in 2007 they produced 12,000 lbs for sale in 2008.

Tilapia Culture Outside Texas

World tilapia production grew from about 250,000 mt in 1984 to 2.6 million mt in 2007. In contrast, the capture of tilapia has been flat, at about 600,000 mt, over the past several years. The key tilapia producers are China, with an estimated 45% of total production, followed by Egypt, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Of the top 16 producers of tilapia, the United States ranked last. The rapid growth in production is primarily in response to the increasing popularity of the fish in countries such as the United States. Tilapia increased from tenth in popularity in 2001 to fifth, behind shrimp, tuna, salmon and Pollock, in 2007. Domestic (US) consumption increased from almost zero as recently as 1990 to over 453,000 mt live weight in 2008. Of this amount, over 95% was imported. This equates to 29,213 mt of fresh fillets, 100,603 mt of frozen fillets, and 49,648 mt of whole frozen. The value of these imports was, in 2008, $734.5

million dollars. Whereas US domestic production of 20 million lbs. is very small relative to imports, it earned producers $50 million in farm gate sales in 2008. With the goal of ensuring the increasing popularity of tilapia while maintaining overall demand, the industry has been aggressive in meeting certifiable standards in its production practices. Various producers have or are in the process of obtaining NGO certifications ranging from the Aquaculture Certification Council to the World Wildlife Fund. Both organizations, as well as Whole Foods, have web-posted their draft guidelines on sustainability to the public for comment. Looking to the near future, Dr. Fitzsimmons, President of the US Tilapia Assoc., stated that global farm-raised tilapia sales are projected to increase from $2.6 billion in 2005 to over $5.0 billion in 2010. This will be done by improving production systems to ensure sustainability, by enhancing food safety and environment–friendly production and by continuing to develop new products forms and packaging.

Other Species

In the past, oyster aquaculture operations have been permitted on the Texas coast; however, none have been sustainable. There are apparently some peculiar ‘catch 22’ regulations limiting the movement and transportation of oysters, limiting the ability of growers to move shellfish to cleaner, approved waters to purge them before marketing. Most of the inshore waters along the Texas coast are considered closed to shellfish harvesting by the Texas Department of Health for one reason or the other, such as storm runoff, discharge from municipalities, or the presence of water fowl. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in an attempt to control shellfish diseases such as the bacteria Dermo, has prohibited the movement of shellfish without a permit. This makes it difficult to near impossible to depurate shellfish in cleaner, approved waters offshore. Private wells can be used, but producers must pay for private laboratory tests on the shellfish meat. The Texas Department of Health also has bacteria limits in shellfish which make is almost impossible to sell the shellfish for human consumption without depuration, and their methods of testing for bacteria have in the past been archaic, counting all bacteria rather than specific pathogens such as E. coli separately. However, bay scallops have potential in Texas aquaculture because only the muscle of the is consumed by humans, so bacterial counts should not pose a problem as they do with the oyster. Bay scallops are a potential way for the shrimp farms to diversify into a second crop. In 2008 the wild harvest oyster growers in Texas asked the state to be considered as aquaculture, so they might qualify for some of the future USDA relief /assistance funds offered by the Government agency, but their request was denied. Other states consider the wild growers as aquaculture growers. According to the oyster expert, Dr. Sammy Ray, at Texas A&M University – Galveston, an oyster hatchery or farm would not be suitable in Texas and a

potential oyster aquaculture venture should look elsewhere, such as the West coast or the East Coast of the USA, where it is cooler, there are fewer diseases in cooler waters, less fouling in cooler waters, and more reasonable regulations to work with. All these reasons make it very difficult for shellfish culture in Texas. However, the attached photo from Kim Siewers shows why people are interested in oysters from Texas. The large oyster shell is from Texas and is the same age as the smaller Canadian oyster shell.

Oyster on the half shell.

© Copyright Texas Department of Agriculture. All Rights Reserved. [email protected]

The Texas Dept. of Agriculture in Austin has a seafood marketing program (Go- Texan) that promotes Texas oysters and shrimp.

The Environmental and Consumer Safety Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services declares certain bays in Texas open or closed to shellfish harvesting. The following is a typical notice from that department.

IN THE MATTER OF OPENING OF MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH HARVESTING AREA *DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES, AUSTIN, TEXAS

SHELLFISH ORDER NUMBER 1297

Pursuant to Chapter 436, Texas Health and Safety Code, and rules promulgated thereunder in Title 25, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 241, it is hereby ORDERED that Conditionally Approved Area 4 of Galveston Bay, and Approved Area 2 of East Matagorda Bay as designated on the maps dated November 1, 2009, are opened to the taking of molluscan shellfish. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m., January 9, 2010, and remains in full force and effect until modified or rescinded by further written order.

Issued in Austin, Travis County, Texas.

Susan E. Tennyson, Section Director Environmental and Consumer Safety Section Texas Department of State Health Services

Sample Report: STATUS OF SHELLFISH HARVESTING AREAS IN TEXAS

GALVESTON BAY (CA AREA 1) OPEN

GALVESTON BAY (CA AREA 2) CLOSED rainfall

GALVESTON BAY (CA AREA 3) CLOSED rainfall

GALVESTON BAY (CA AREA 4) OPEN

GALVESTON BAY (NORTH AP AREA) OPEN

GALVESTON BAY (CENTRAL AP AREA) OPEN

GALVESTON BAY (EAST AP AREA) OPEN (Private Oyster Leases Only)

GALVESTON BAY (SMITH POINT AP AREA) OPEN

WEST GALVESTON BAY OPEN

FREEPORT AREA (BASTROP AND CHRISTMAS BAYS) OPEN

EAST MATAGORDA BAY (AP AREA 1) OPEN

EAST MATAGORDA BAY (AP AREA 2) OPEN

MATAGORDA BAY (CA AREA) OPEN

MATAGORDA BAY (AP AREA) OPEN

TRES PALACIOS BAY (CA AREA) CLOSED rainfall

TRES PALACIOS BAY (AP AREA) CLOSED elevated sample results

CARANCAHUA BAY (CA AREA) CLOSED elevated sample results

LAVACA BAY (CA AREA 1) CLOSED rainfall

LAVACA BAY (CA AREA 2) CLOSED rainfall

LAVACA BAY (CA AREA 3) OPEN

LAVACA BAY (AP AREA) OPEN

POWDERHORN LAKE CLOSED elevated sample results

ESPIRITU SANTO BAY OPEN

SAN ANTONIO BAY (CA AREA) OPEN

SAN ANTONIO BAY (NORTH AP AREA) OPEN

SAN ANTONIO BAY (SOUTH AP AREA) OPEN

MESQUITE BAY OPEN

ST. CHARLES BAY CLOSED red tide

ARANSAS BAY CLOSED red tide

COPANO BAY CLOSED red tide

CORPUS CHRISTI BAY CLOSED red tide

LOWER LAGUNA MADRE CLOSED red tide

SOUTH BAY CLOSED red tide

Sportfish

Sportfish, especially black bass have been cultured in the U.S. since 1890. Until the late 1970s TPWD supplied pond owners with free fish in Texas. Since then the private sector assumed the role of providing fish. Florida black

bass, introduced into Texas in the 1970s, generated much interest. The private sector generally utilizes larger open pond culture, whereas State and Federal facilities generally use tanks, raceways, and smaller ponds. There are approximately 21 sportfish producers in Texas. The private sector consists of approximately 576 acres that produce 1’’ to 3’’ bass and for pond stocking.

Golden Shiner

Baitfish (goldfish, golden shiners, fathead minnows, etc.) production generates approximately $400,000 in sales in the state annually from approximately 20 acres. This only makes up a small portion of the demand. More than $10 million of baitfish is transported each year from Arkansas to Texas. The industry in Arkansas became well established in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1972, Arkansas had 30,000 acres of golden shiners. Aerial spraying, minimal baitfish research facilities and many predators like birds, snakes, turtles and dragonfly nymphs continue to be common problems in this industry.

Alligator Farming

Alligator farming was once a much larger industry in the USA than it is today. Alligator production reached over 250,000 hides annually in the USA in the early 1990s, but after other countries began to produce gators, the price of hides dropped from $16 to $20 a foot to below $10 a foot. Texas harvested 9,000 alligators on farms in 1991, but with the price drop in hides, most of the farms have closed. An estimated 12 farms are presently growing alligators in Texas and the estimated farm gate value is $100,000 annually. Photos from AquaNIC.

Alligator Farm in Crescent, Texas

Freshwater Shrimp

Freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) have been cultured in Texas since the early 1970s. There is a Macrobrachium hatchery in Weatherford, Texas that has been in operation since 1987, and sells PLs and juveniles to producers worldwide. There is presently only one hatchery and a few growout producers of the freshwater shrimp in Texas, most of which are located in North Central and Northeast Texas. Research and commercial trials in Kentucky and Tennessee have shown that the tropical animals actually do better in the cooler climates because they put more energy into growth than they do in the warmer climates of Texas and Mississippi. They apparently put more energy into reproduction in the warmer climates and do not grow as rapidly. This explains why the economics of freshwater shrimp culture looks better in cooler climates, and why there is a resurgence in the industry growth along the Eastern seaboard of the USA. Marketing of the product has always been a challenge in Gulf of Mexico states, where consumers are accustomed to the marine shrimp’s differing texture and flavor.

Aquaculture of Texas, Inc., Weatherford, Texas

Male, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (Malaysian ). Photo from Jim Tidwell.

Gravid female prawn with eggs on the ventral side. (photo from Jim Tidwell)

The Aquaculture of Texas, Inc. hatchery is located in a 15,000 sq. ft. metal building on IH-20 just west of Fort Worth, which has a 6 million postlarval shrimp production capacity each spring. Owner, Craig Upstrom, says that it takes about $100,000 to pay the bills each year, but somehow it gets done. According to Craig there have been two other prawn hatcheries built in the Eastern USA recently which have affected sales and overall business. The prawns are selling locally for about $8.00/lb after they are grown in outdoor ponds on several farms during summer months and reach a size of around 8 to10 to a pound. Frank "Chief" Shibasaki, award-winning master chef at the Tokyo Steak House in Round Rock, Texas, sampled some the prawns and found them to be excellent for the restaurant trade. Since Craig runs the hatchery himself, with a part-time assistant, he needs more time to work on genetics and developing a substitute larval diet to replace expensive Artemia. Dr. Delbert Gatlin, of TAMU's Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Dept. visited the hatchery with the Texas Sea Grant aquaculture specialist to explore the possibility of placing some undergraduate interns in the hatchery during the summer to work jointly on needed research. Our hats go off to Craig Upstrom for his hard work in this industry and we hope that he continues to find a niche to survive in this business. More information can be found on their web site at www.aquacultureoftexas.com.

Craig Upstrom, Aquaculture of Texas, Inc. with adult Macrobrachium.

Aquaculture of Texas, Inc. Macrobrachium broodstock holding.

Macrobrachium hatchery

Trolley tracks for tank substrates

Stocking One Acre with 20K 60-day old juveniles takes 114 shipping boxes, so its more practical to stock 20K 30-day old juveniles in 25 boxes, and even more practical to ship 20K PLs in only 4 boxes. 100,000 PLs can be air shipped for $250. Live hauling juveniles in insulated “TOTE” containers, holding 280 gallons of water, holding 20K 60-day old juveniles is probably the most practical way to transport shrimp on a regional basis and each tote would weigh 2500 lbs.

Growout tank for Macrobrachium

The final product (below) some of Craig's shrimp purchased by an area farm, grown out in ponds, individually frozen with head on and stored in plastic bag and cardboard box. 10 pounds of shrimp which sells for $80.00. Growout results in the above tank can be seen on Aquaculture of Texas web site.

The species grown in Texas is Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the Malaysian prawn, and is considered an exotic. Permits must be obtained from TPWD to grow exotics. There are native species of Macrobrachium in Texas, which are found in rivers and upper estuaries, but none of the native species are cultured.

Background on Freshwater Shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Introduction

The Malaysian prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) has been grown for centuries in Asia, but it has only been the subject of research and commercial enterprise in the U.S. during the last 40 years. The information in this section, except where noted, was taken directly from or summarized from D’Abramo and Brunson (1). Other species of Macrobrachium are indigenous to the U.S., but none are as suitable for aquaculture as the Malaysian prawn. The other species (M. acanthurus, M. carcinus, M. ohione and M. olfersii) do not reach sizes that are considered desirable for aquaculture (2). Basic production techniques were developed in the late 1950s in Malaysia, and refined in Hawaii and Israel during the last 30 years. Mistakidis (2) published an excellent biological account of the freshwater shrimp, with line drawings of eggs and larval stages. A major breakthrough was when Fujimura and Okamoto at the University of Hawaii made the mass production of PL possible in 1970 (3). Once this bottleneck was removed, freshwater shrimp culture began to spread to areas such as Mauritius, French Polynesia (4), Israel and the state of Florida, USA. Weyerhaeuser, in Florida, started an R&D program in 1974, then other countries started theirs (Puerto Rico, 1975; Martinique, French West Indies, 1977; Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, 1978; Central America, 1979; Brazil, 1981. Bardach et al. wrote a classic paper on the species in 1972 (4).

At the same time Weyerhaeuser, in Florida, USA and companies in other countries were developing R&D programs. The states of South Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana, USA conducted research into basic production techniques, as well as marketing, processing, and hatchery procedures (5). In 1974, Sun Oil Company established a pilot freshwater shrimp farming company (Aquaprawns, Inc.) near Brownsville, Texas. The firm developed several new techniques for cultivation of freshwater and saltwater shrimp, including use of a harvest pump (6). In 1977, Hanson and Goodwin (7) reviewed the culture practices developed for M. rosenbergii, and S.K. Johnson described the diseases found in the species (8). In 1978, Sun Oil Co. closed its non-petroleum-related subsidiaries and a new company (CSCI), was formed. In 1980, CSCI built a (27.2 ha) 68 ac freshwater shrimp farm near Los Fresnos, Texas. The operation was located several miles inland, but used saline ground water to operate the hatchery. Even though it is called a freshwater shrimp, a certain part of its life cycle is spent in saltwater. The natural life cycle involves the adult shrimp migrating down rivers to estuaries to have their young, and juveniles return to the rivers to complete the cycle. Freshwater shrimp require brackish water (12-15 ppt) for larval development and can tolerate up to 5 ppt during growout. They are tropical in temperature requirements and do not do well in water temperature below 500F (100C). In 1981, population profile development and morphotypic differentiation in the species was described (9), and a fact sheet was published on the culture of the species (10). In 1983, Aquaculture Enterprises, Inc. acquired an unsuccessful prawn farm in Puerto Rico (Shrimps, Unltd. Inc.), and John Glude restarted the farm at Sabana Grande, on the southwest coast. It experienced a large debt service and construction delays for five years before it became what was considered an economically viable size in 1988 (58 ha or 143.3 ac). The Weyerhaeuser technology was inappropriate for the environment in Puerto Rico, and production failed to achieve projected levels. A change in production strategy, termed the “Modified Batch System” was developed and tested in 1989 and 1990, and a production rate of 3,000 kg/ha (3,000 lb/ac) per yr. was achieved. A disease called the “white PL disease,” caused by Rickettsia, hit the company hard, while a recession in the U.S. caused a drop in demand for the product, and the company was forced to put production on hold in 1992 (11). Additionally by 1992, inexpensive Taiwanese frozen shrimp had appeared in the world market at US$10/kg (US$4.54/lb), and created fierce competition in the industry. Many producers’ costs were higher than the shrimp were bringing on the market. In Texas, CSCI produced large amounts of shrimp, but closed in 1985, unable to find a large, high-value market for the product. At least three companies in Texas produced and sold freshwater shrimp. In south Texas, Sweet Water Aqua-Farms, Inc., re-opened the CSCI farm in 1989, raised freshwater shrimp, and distributed nationwide. Sweet Water had been marketing the Malaysian prawn for a number of years from Brooklyn, New York, and

decided to move into production. They sold mainly to "white table cloth" restaurants, had a toll-free telephone number, and an agreement with one of its investors (Federal Express) for overnight delivery of the product. In 1990, Sweet Water Aqua-Farms, Inc. produced 544 kg (1,200 lb) of Cherax (Australian red claw), and 9,979 kg (22,000 lb) of freshwater shrimp. Although the numbers are not large when compared to the Texas marine shrimp production, the product was marketed as a specialty item for a niche market. The freshwater shrimp were shipped fresh, killed and heads-on at 1 – 30 C or 35 – 380 F. The farm suffered the loss of 9,979 kg (22,000 lb) of shrimp (valued at US$254,540) due to an Arctic cold front in November, 1991. The owner was able to save the broodstock and still made a little money, despite the freeze loss. The farm re- located to Puerto Rico where year-round production was possible, without the threat of cold weather. Freshwater shrimp PL are quite expensive relative to saltwater shrimp. Even in the 1980s, freshwater shrimp PL cost between US$25-50/1000. Now they are generally selling for US$ 60-65/1000. By comparison, saltwater shrimp PL sell for US$ 8-10/1000 if purchased in the U.S., and US$ 6-7/1000 purchased from Central or South America or in large quantities. Part of the reason for the price difference is the larval cycle is longer for freshwater shrimp (25-45 days), whereas the saltwater shrimp hatchery cycle generally takes 18 days, or less if the temperature is raised above 280C (82.40F). Cannibalism has been a major problem in the freshwater shrimp industry. As is the case in most crustaceans, the larger shrimp prey upon the smaller ones. Producers of freshwater shrimp provide habitat or hiding places, vegetation in the pond, and harvest the larger animals routinely to minimize the problem. Another problem faced by the freshwater shrimp industry is two thirds of the animal is head and one-third tail muscle. Most producers are forced to sell the product fresh, head-on. Digestive enzymes in the cephalothorax cause deterioration of the muscle if not properly handled after harvest, and producers say the animal can not be held on ice very long because the shells becomes soft. During recent years, new management practices have dramatically increased the potential for economic success of freshwater shrimp culture in the southern U.S. Research efforts have been complemented by demonstration projects designed to evaluate methods under large-scale, commercial conditions. Freshwater prawns, like all crustaceans, have an exoskeleton or shell that must be shed regularly in order for growth to occur. As crustaceans grow, they shed the shell, or molt, and weight and size increase occur soon after each molt. When crustaceans molt they have approximately 12% more water in the bodies and they are soft, lethargic, and subject to attack by others. Because of these periodic molts, growth occurs in distinct increments, rather than on a continuous basis. Females generally become reproductively mature before six months of age. Mating can occur only between hard-shelled males and freshly molted

females. The male deposits sperm into a gelatinous mass that is held on the ventral side of the female, between the fourth pair of walking legs (1). Eggs are laid within a few hours after mating and are fertilized by the sperm contained in the gelatinous mass. The female then transfers the fertilized eggs to the ventral tail, into a brood chamber, where they are kept aerated and cleaned by movement of the abdominal swimming appendages (pleopods). Eggs remain attached to the abdomen until they hatch. As in saltwater shrimp, the number of eggs produced in each spawn is directly proportional to the size of the female. As long as water temperature exceeds 70 F (210C), multiple spawns per female can occur annually and eyestalk ablation is not necessary with the freshwater shrimp, as it is for commercial production of saltwater shrimp. Females carrying eggs, or ‘berried’ females, are easily recognized by the bright yellow to orange color of newly spawned eggs, which gradually change to orange, then brown, and finally gray a few days before hatching. At 820F (280C), the eggs hatch approximately 20 days after spawning. After hatching, larvae are released and swim upside down, tail first, like the mysis stage of saltwater shrimp. The larvae cannot survive in freshwater more than 48 hr and survive best in brackish water of 9 - 19 ppt. As larvae grow they become aggressive sight feeders and feed almost continuously, primarily on small , worms, and larval stages of other aquatic invertebrates. Daniels et al. (12) found that larval feeding habits could be modified or improved with light manipulations and by keeping bacterial counts low. That work can be summarized as follows: In a 30 day larval cycle; 60 larvae/L (0.26 gal) stock; 80% survival after 30 days; allow one week for wash down, dry out, and disinfecting; building 9.1 m 27.4 m; 6.3 million larvae for two runs, 3.15 million each run; large center drain for cleaning, disinfecting; 3.1 m x 3.1 m required to house blowers; six, 11,000 l (2,860 gal), conical tanks, not to exceed 100 slope; 6% volume of rearing tanks should be the biofilter’s size (3,960 L or 1,029 gal); five tanks used for conditioning water, salt water storage, conditioning of filter media; broodstock held at 4 per m2 (10.8 ft2) in intense light; from juveniles on, growout in freshwater or below 5 ppt salinity best; ponds stocked at 39,520/ha (16,000/ac) stunt growth; larvae salinity range 7-15 ppt, 12-15 ppt is acceptable, but 7-10 ppt is best; larvae stocked at 50 to 60/l (0.26 gal), with 80-90/l (0.26 gal) at most should result in 90% survival. Most larvae are fed Artemia nauplii throughout the hatchery phase, up to 45 days Fuller et al. (13) looked at the economics of operating a closed, recirculating “clearwater” hatchery for the commercial production of PL. During the hatchery period, larvae undergo 11 molts, each representing a different stage of . Following the last molt, larvae transform into PL. Transformation from newly hatched larvae to PL requires 15 to 40 days, depending upon food quantity and quality, temperature, and a variety of other water quality variables. Optimum temperatures for growth are 28 - 310 C (82.4- 87.8 0 F).

After metamorphosis to PL, the shrimp resemble miniature adults, about 7 to 10 mm (0.3 to 0.4 in) long and weigh 6 to 9 mg (50,000 to 76,000/lb). PL change from planktonic to benthic, crawling individuals. When they do swim, they move like adults with the dorsal side up and swim or crawl in forward direction. PL can tolerate a range of salinities and migrate to freshwater upon transformation. In addition to the types of food they consume as larvae, larger pieces of animal and plant materials are ingested The diet includes larval and adult insects, algae, molluscs, worms, fish, and feces of fish and other animals. At high densities, or under conditions of food limitations, prawns become cannibalistic. PL are translucent and may have a light orange/pink head. As they change to the juvenile stage, they take on the bluish to brownish color of the adult stage. PL are juveniles, but through common usage the term juvenile is reserved for the stage between PL and adult; however, no standard definition for the juvenile stage exists. Older juveniles and adults usually have a distinctive blue-green color, although sometimes they may take on a brownish hue. Color is usually the result of the quality and type of diet. Adult males are larger than the females, and the sexes are easily distinguishable. The claws (chela) and the head region of males are larger than those of the females. The base of the fifth or last pair of walking legs (periopods) of males is expanded inward to form a flap or clear bubble that covers the opening (gonopore) through which sperm are released. The walking legs of males are set close together in nearly parallel lines, with little open space between them, which helps distinguish immature males from females. A wide gap exists between the last pair of walking legs in females, and they have a genital opening at the base of the third pair of walking legs. Three types of males have been identified, based upon external characteristics. Blue-claw males are easily distinguishable and are characterized by long, spiny blue claws. Eventually, the male will either die or molt and return to a growth phase and later regain its blue-claw status. Two other classes of non-blue-claw males exist, orange claw and strong orange claw males (1). There are three phases of culture of freshwater shrimp: hatchery, nursery, and growout. For detailed information on the pond growout phase, refer to (14). Those contemplating starting a freshwater shrimp production enterprise should forego, the hatchery phase at least initially and possibly the nursery phase by purchasing juveniles from a supplier (15). As production increases through successful pond growout plans can be made to develop a nursery, and possibly a hatchery. There is a limited number of juvenile shrimp suppliers, but increased demands will lead to a need for more enterprises that deal exclusively in the production and sale of PL. Ponds should have a minimum depth of 0.6 to 0.9 m (2 to 3 feet) at the shallow end and a maximum depth of 1 to 1.5 m (3.5 to 5 feet) at the deep end. The slope of the bottom should allow for rapid draining. Publications that provide additional information on pond design and construction are available on the internet at Southern Regional Aquaculture Center web site, under fact sheets.

A soil sample should be collected from the pond bottom to determine whether lime is needed. Take soil samples from about six different places in the pond, and mix them together to make a composite sample that is then air-dried. Send the soil sample to a soil testing laboratory and request a lime requirement test. There may be a small charge for this service. If the pH of the soil is less than 6.5, you must add agricultural limestone to increase the pH to a minimum of 6.5, and preferably 6.8. The final phase of freshwater shrimp production is growout of juveniles to adults for market as a food product. Research in Mississippi, Kentucky, and other southern states of the USA has demonstrated this can be a profitable enterprise (14, 15, 16). Unless you have a hatchery/nursery, you must purchase juveniles for the pond growout phase. Shipping costs can be minimized if the hatcheries are located within a one day driving distance of the growout facility. Otherwise, it is best to have the shrimp shipped via air or express courier, but this significantly increases the cost. Ponds used for raising freshwater shrimp should have many of the same basic features of ponds used for the culture of channel catfish (14). A good supply of freshwater is important, and the soil must have excellent water- retention qualities. Well water of acceptable quality is the preferred water source for raising freshwater shrimp. Surface runoff water from rivers, streams, and reservoirs can be used, but quality and quantity can be highly variable and subject to uncontrollable change. The quality of the water source should be evaluated before any site is selected. The surface area of growout ponds ideally should range from 0.4 to 2 ha (1 to 5 ac ), but larger ponds have been successfully used. The pond should be rectangular to facilitate distribution of feed. The bottom of the pond should be smooth and free of obstructions to seining (14). After filling the pond, fertilize it to provide an abundance of natural food organisms for the shrimp and to shade unwanted aquatic weeds. If a water source other than well water is used, it is critically important to prevent fish, particularly members of the sunfish family (e.g., bass, bluegills and green sunfish) from getting into the pond when it is filled. Screening or filtering the incoming water is advised if it is not from a well. The effects of predation by these kinds of fish can be devastating. Birds, especially cormorants and hingas can also be a problem. If there are fish in the pond, remove them before stocking shrimp, using 0.95 L (1 quart) of 5% liquid emulsifiable rotenone per acre-foot (325,900 gal) of water when water temperatures exceed 21°C (700F). Rotenone is a restricted use , and either a commercial or private pesticide applicator license is required to purchase and apply this material in the USA. Juvenile freshwater shrimp must be gradually acclimated to conditions in the growout pond to prevent temperature shock or other types of stress. The water in which they will be stocked should gradually replace water in which PL and juveniles are transported. This acclimation procedure should not be attempted until the temperature difference between the transport and culture

water is less than 2 to 40 (C or F). The temperature of the pond water at stocking should be consistently at least 200C (680F) to avoid stress because of low temperatures. Juvenile prawns are more susceptible than adults are to low water temperature exposure. Juveniles, preferably derived from populations that have been size-graded, ranging in weight from 0.1 - 0.3g (0.0002 – 0.0006 lb), should be stocked at densities of 29,640 - 39,520/ha (12,000 - 16,000/ac). The size grading results in more uniform growth and helps to reduce the percentage of smaller, non-marketable individuals at harvest. Lower stocking densities will yield larger shrimp, but lower total harvested weight. If the market demands whole, live or fresh ice-packed shrimp, stocking at lower densities will result in larger, more marketable individuals. The duration of growout depends on the water temperature, and the time generally is 120 to 180 days in the southern U.S. freshwater shrimp could be grown year-round if a water source is found that provides a sufficiently warm temperature for growth (14). Juvenile shrimp stocked into growout ponds are able to initially obtain sufficient nutrition from natural pond organisms. At the stocking densities recommended D’Abramo and Brunson (1), begin feeding when the average weight is 5.0g (0.01 lb.) or greater. Commercially available, sinking channel catfish feed (28 - 32% crude protein) is an effective and economical feed at the recommended stocking densities. The feeding rate is based upon the mean weight of the population. A feeding schedule can be developed based upon three factors: 1.) A of 2.5; 2.) One percent mortality in the population per week; and 3.) Mean individual weight determined from samples obtained every three weeks. At the end of the growout season, survival may range from 60 - 85%, if you have practiced good water quality maintenance. Yields typically range from 600-1,200 kg/ha (600 - 1,200 lb/ac). Weights of shrimp range from 35 - 45g (10 - 13/lb or 22 - 28/kg). These yields and average sizes will be significantly influenced by initial stocking density. Water quality is important in raising freshwater shrimp, as it is in raising saltwater shrimp, catfish, or any other aquatic species. Dissolved oxygen is particularly important and must be monitored several times daily, especially in the early morning hours. Selective harvest of large shrimp during a period of 4 - 6 weeks before final harvest is recommended to increase total production in the pond. Selective harvesting usually is performed with a 2.54 cm – 5 cm (1- 2 in ) bar-mesh seine, allowing animals that pass through the seine to remain in the pond and to continue to grow, while the larger shrimp are removed. Selective harvest may also be accomplished with properly designed traps. Shrimp can be trapped using an array of traditionally designed crawfish traps. Selective harvest can help extend the duration of the availability of the fresh or live shrimp product to the market. However, there is a lack of research to show whether selective harvesting or complete bulk harvesting is the most economical approach. Regardless of the harvest method employed, some shrimp will remain in the pond and will have to be manually picked up. Rapid draining or careful seining

can minimize this residual crop. Harvested shrimp should be quickly chilled to preserve the integrity of the muscle tissue, thus maintaining a firm, high quality texture. The product may be marketed fresh on ice, processed and frozen, or frozen whole for storage and shipment (1). Culture of freshwater shrimp in combination with fingerling catfish has been successfully demonstrated under small scale experimental conditions and appears possible under commercial conditions. Before introduction of catfish fry, D’Abramo and Brunson (14) recommends stocking juveniles at a rate of 7,410 – 12,350/ha (3,000 - 5,000/ac) and recommends stocking catfish fry at a density to insure that they will pass through a 2.54 cm ( 1”) mesh seine used to harvest the shrimp at the end of the growing season. Soft water (<7 ppm total hardness) can be expected to cause a softening of the shell. Hard water (>300 ppm) has been implicated in reduced growth and lime encrustations on freshwater shrimp. Polyculture of channel catfish and freshwater shrimp may be best achieved through cage culture of the fish. A scheme for intercropping of freshwater shrimp and red swamp crawfish was developed and evaluated in the U.S.A. Intercropping is the culture of two species that are stocked at different times of the year with little if any, overlap of their growth and harvest seasons. Intercropping provides for a number of benefits that include: 1.) Minimizing competition for resources; 2.) Avoiding potential problems of species separation during or after harvest; and 3.) Spreading fixed costs of a production unit (pond) throughout the calendar year. Adult mature crawfish are stocked at a rate of 8,892/ha (3,600/ac) in summer (late June or early July). Juvenile shrimp are stocked at a density of 39,520/ha (16,000/ac) in late May and harvested from August through early October. In late February, seine harvest of the crawfish begins and continues through late June before stocking of new adult crawfish. Freshwater shrimp are small enough to pass through the mesh of the seine used to harvest crawfish during the May-June overlap period. Other intercropping scenarios involving such species as bait minnows, tilapia, and other fish species may be possible, but to date no research has been conducted in the U.S.A. (1). Nitrites at concentrations of 1.8 ppm have caused problems in hatcheries, but there is no definitive information as to the toxicity of nitrite to shrimp in ponds. High nitrite concentrations in ponds would not be expected given the anticipated biomass of shrimp at harvest. Levels of un-ionized ammonia above 0.1 ppm in fish ponds can be detrimental. Concentrations of un-ionized ammonia as low as 0.26 ppm at a pH of 6.83 have been reported to kill 50 % of the shrimp in a population in 144 hrs. Therefore, you must make every effort to prevent concentrations of 0.1 ppm or higher un-ionized ammonia. A high pH can cause mortality through direct pH toxicity, and indirectly because a higher % of the total ammonia in the water exists in the toxic, un- ionized form. Although freshwater shrimp have been raised in ponds with a pH range of 6.0 to 10.5 with no apparent short term adverse effects, it is best to avoid a pH below 6.5 or above 9.5, if possible. Constantly high pH stresses the shrimp and reduces growth rates. High pH values usually occur in waters with

total alkalinity of 50 ppm or higher and when a dense algae bloom is present. Liming ponds that are built in acid soils can help minimize severe pH fluctuations. Another way to avoid problems with high pH is to reduce the quantity of algae in the pond by periodic flushing the top 30 cm (12 in) of water. Alternatively, organic matter, such as corn grain or rice bran, can be distributed over the surface area of the pond. This procedure must be accompanied by careful monitoring of oxygen levels, which may dramatically decrease due to the decay processes. Other than the “white PL disease,” caused by Rickettsia, discussed earlier, diseases do not appear to be a significant problem in the production of freshwater shrimp, but as densities are increased to improve production, disease problems are certain to become more prevalent. We know that White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) is spreading worldwide and affects many crustaceans. Production levels and harvesting practices should match marketing strategies. Without this approach, financial loss due to lack of adequate storage (holding) facilities or price change is inevitable. Marketing studies strongly suggest that a “heads off” product should be avoided and that a specific market niche for whole freshwater shrimp needs to be identified and carefully developed. To establish year-round distribution of this seasonal product, freezing, preferably individually quick frozen (IQF), is an attractive form of processing. Block frozen is an alternative method of processing. Adult freshwater shrimp can be successfully live hauled for at least 24 hr, at a density of 0.22 kg/3.8 L (0.5 lb/gal) with little mortality and no observed effect on exterior quality of the product. Transport under these conditions requires good aeration. Distribution of shrimp on shelves stacked vertically within the water column assists in avoiding mortality due to crowding and localized poor water quality. Use of holding water with a comparatively cool temperature (20 – 22 0 C or 68 – 72 0 F) minimizes incidence of water quality problems and injury by reducing the activity level of the prawn’s (14). Economics of raising freshwater shrimp Based on an average feed cost of US$500 to US$800/907 kg (2,000 lb), a cost of US$65/1,000 juveniles, a 2.5: 1 FCR, expected mean yields of 1,000 kg /ha (1,000 lb/ac), and a pond bank selling price of US$8.00/lb, the expected return can be as high as US$ 5,000 – US$8,000/ha (US$2,024 - US$3,238/ac). Revenue and ultimate profitability depend on the type of market that is used. This estimated return does not include labor costs or other variable costs that differ greatly from operation to operation. Some thorough economic evaluations that incorporate annual ownership and operating costs under different scenarios for a synthesized firm of 17.4 ha (43 ac), having 4 ha (10.25 ac) of water surface in production, are provided in (15). There are several opeartions in North central Texas operating under the above listed economics as of 2008. Nutrition The nutritional requirements of Macrobrachium rosenbergii were summarized and compared with species of penaeid shrimp by D’Abramo (17). Other

important contributions toward our knowledge of the nutrition requirements and other aspects of these animals have been published (18-27). According to D’Abramo (17), the quantitative amino acid requirements for M. rosenbergii remain undefined, a situation generally attributed to the common lack of success in using crystalline sources of amino acids in shrimp diets to supplement protein sources deficient in one or more essential amino acids. In contrast, crystalline amino acids have been successfully used in investigations of amino acid requirements of fish. Farmanfarmaian (28) showed evidence of growth enhancement achieved with a 1% supplementation of either arginine, phenylalanine, leucine, or isoleucine to a commercial diet. Analysis of the free amino acid content of whole body and tail muscle tissue of juvenile shrimp revealed that arginine is the predominant amino acid (29). The quantitative dietary protein requirement for juveniles has generally fallen within the range of 30-40% (dry wt.), but lower values have been reported by (30). Using soybean meal, fishmeal, and shrimp meal reported that the optimum dietary protein levels are between 35 and 40%, (31, 32). All other dietary requirements were detailed by D’Abramo (17). Distinct dietary differences exist between M. rosenbergii and other species of Macrobrachium. A list of citations on the freshwater shrimp since 1972 may be obtained from (33). References 1. L.R. D’Abramo and M.W. Brunson, Biology and Life History of Freshwater Prawns, Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC) Pub. 483, Miss. State Univ., Miss. USA, 1996. SRAC publications are available on the internet at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/srac/fslist.htm. 2. M.N. Mistakidis, ed. FAO Fisheries Rep., 5(3), (1969). 3. T. Fujimura, and H. Okamoto, Indo. Pac. Fish Counc., 14th session, Bangkok, Thailand, (1970). 4. Aquacop, J. World Maricult. Soc., 8: 311-319, (1977). 5. J.E. Bardach, J.H. Ryther, and W.O. McLarney, Aquaculture: the Farming and Husbandry of Freshwater and Marine Organisms, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1972. 6. G.D. Treece, Texas Aquaculture, History and Growth Potential for the 1990s, Texas A&M University, Sea Grant College Program, pub. # GT103, 1993. 7. J. A. Hanson, and H.L. Goodwin, Shrimp and Prawn Farming in the Western Hemisphere, Dowden, Hutchinson and Toss, Inc., Stroudsburg, PA, USA, 1977. 8. S.K. Johnson, Crawfish and Freshwater Shrimp Diseases, Texas A&M University, Sea Grant College Program, pub. #TAMU-SG-77-605, 1977. 9. D. Cohen, Z. Ranan, and A. Barnes, J. World Maricult. Soc., 12: 231-243, (1981). 10. R.W. Brick, and J.T. Davis, Farming Freshwater Shrimp, Texas A&M University, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Fact Sheet 3M-9-81, 1981. 11. Special Report, J. World Aquacult. Soc., 25 (1): 5-17, (1994).

12. W. H. Daniels, L. R. D’Abramo, and L. De Parseval, J. of Shell. Res., 11 (1): 65-73, (1992). 13. M. J. Fuller, R. A. Kelly, and A. P. Smith, J. of Shell. Res., 11 (1): 75-80, (1992). 14. L.R. D’Abramo, and M.W. Brunson, Production of Freshwater Prawns in Ponds, Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC) Pub. 484, Miss. State Univ., Miss. USA, 1996. SRAC publications are available on the internet at http://www.msstate.edu/dept/srac/fslist.htm. 15. Economics of freshwater shrimp production in Mississippi, Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletin #985, Department of Agricultural Economics, Miss. State Univ., Miss., USA, 1996. 16. C.D. Webster, and J.H. Tidwell, Aquacult. Mag., Nov./Dec., 1995, p. 47-60. 17. L.R. D’Abramo, Rev. Fish.. Sci., 6 (1+2): 153-163, (1998). 18. L.R. D’Abramo, and S. S. Sheen, Rev. Fish. Sci., 2(1): 1-21, (1994). 19. L.R. D’Abramo, S.R. Malecha, M.J. Fuller, W.H. Daniels, and J.M. Heinen, in P.A. Sandifer, ed. Shrimp Culture in North America and the Caribbean, World Aquacult. Soc., Baton Rouge, LA, 1991, pp. 96-123. 20. P. Bartlett, and E. Enkerlin, Aquacult., 30: 353-356, (1983). 21. M.R.P. Briggs, K. Jauncey, and J.H. Brown, Aquacult., 70: 121-129, (1988). 22. L.R. D’Abramo, J.M. Heinen, H.R. Robinette, and J.S. Collins, J. World Aquacult. Soc., 20: 81-89, (1989). 23. L.R. D’Abramo, and S. S. Sheen, Aquacult. 115: 63-86, (1993). 24. R.C. Reigh, Fatty Acid Metabolism in the Freshwater shrimp Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 1985. 25. S.S. Sheen, and L.R. D’Abramo, Aquacult., 93: 121-134, (1991). 26. J.H. Tidwell, C.D. Webster, J.A. Clark, and L.R. D’Abramo, J. World Aquacult. Soc. 24: 66-70, (1993). 27. J.H. Tidwell, C.D. Webster, D.H. Yancey, and L.R. D’Abramo, Aquacult., 118: 119-130, (1993). 28. A. Farmanfarmaian, and T. Lauterio, Proc. World Maricult. Soc., 10: 674-688, (1979). 29. L. Reed, and L.R. D’Abramo, J. World Aquacult. Soc., 20: 107-113, (1989). 30. G. Gomez Diaz, H. Nakagawa, and S. Kasahara, Bull. Jpn. Xoc. Sci. Fish., 54: 1401-1407, (1988). 31. G.H. Balazs, and E. Ross, Aquacult., 7: 200-213, (1976). 32. M. R. Millikin, A.R. Fortner, P.H. Fair, and L.V. Sick, Proc. World Maricult. Soc., 11: 382-391, (1980). 33. Quick Bibliography Series, USDA, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, Maryland, USA, 1987. Web page at http://www.nalusda.gov/.