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USDA-NASS 1998 Aquaculture Census
National Agricultural Statistics Service
(800) 727-9540
nass@nass.usda.gov
www.usda.gov/nass/
FEBRUARY 1, 2000
First Aquaculture Census Catches Nearly $1 Billion in Sales
The Nation's first census of aquaculture revealed interesting facts-and confirmed some
expectations-about one of agriculture's fastest growing sectors. The 1998 Census of
Aquaculture, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS), provides a wide variety of data relating to methods of
production, sources of water, sales and sale outlets, cooperative agreements and
contracts, sizes of operation based on sales, and aquaculture distributed for restoration or
conservation purposes.
This special census provided the first detailed picture of the aquaculture industry and revealed that:
Mississippi topped the sales charts, capturing nearly 30 percent of the $978 million dollars
of domestic aquaculture produced in 1998. Arkansas, Florida, Maine, and Alabama came
in second through fifth, respectively, in sales. Food fish (e.g., catfish, trout, salmon, tilapia,
hybrid striped bass, etc.) accounted for about two-thirds of the aquaculture sales and just
under half of the farms producing aquaculture. The value of aquacultural products sold
continues to grow, jumping over twenty percent in the last year: sales totaled $807 million
in 1997, then rose to $978 million in 1998.
Food fish growers showed average sales of $387 thousand dollars per farm in 1998.
The census of aquaculture contains information about food fish, baitfish, mollusks,
crustaceans, ornamental fish, sport/game fish, algae and sea vegetables, and other fish
and aquacultural products. To discover the wealth of aquaculture and other agricultural
statistics available from NASS, including hundreds of commodity production and price
reports, or to review a full catalog of NASS products and services, visit the NASS Home
Page at www.usda.gov/nass/. The 1998 Census of Aquaculture, 1997 Census of
Agriculture reports, State and County Profiles, Highlights, and a slide show presenting
Quick Facts are accessible by clicking "Census of Agriculture."
For other information, e-mail nass@nass.usda.gov
or call 1-800-727-9540. To
order a printed copy of any NASS report, call the NASS Order Desk at
1-800-999-6779.
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