Aquaculture: Potential
for Small Scale Farmers
in California
Fred S.
Conte, Department of Animal Science, University of California,
Davis.
Adapted from an article by Dr. Conte called, California Aquaculture:
Growth
Keyed
to Diversity and Markets. In World Aquaculture 21(3): 33-44, 1990.
Aquaculture is among the fastest growing segments of
American
agriculture and is expanding even more rapidly worldwide. Its growing
popularity
has stimulated interest among potential growers. The level of
participation
in aquaculture will depend upon a number of factors, the most important
being the availability and nature of the water and land resources.
Each aquaculture species has specific biological
requirements.
Factors such as growth, health, and reproduction are directly
influenced
by water quality and associated influences of the land and how it is
used.
Options based on resources may include ornamental, recreational
fishing,
fee fishing, small- to large- scale commercial production, and
integrated
aquatic and land farming operations.
California has the most diverse aquaculture industry
in
the United States. The state's size, combined with its particular
geology
and topography, provides a multitude of climatic and water conditions
suitable
for a variety of growing conditions. A summary of the state's
aquaculture
industry follows.
Oysters
Oyster culture is the oldest aquaculture industry in
California
and dates back to the 1850s.
California's oyster growing areas include Humboldt,
Drakes,
Tomales, Morro, and San Diego Bays, and offshore sites near Santa
Barbara.
Growing areas include lands leased from the state, navigation
districts,
municipalities, and public utilities. The industry employs a variety of
techniques, each designed for particular environmental conditions.
Techniques
include bottom culture and a variety of off-bottom techniques such as
rack
and line, rack and bag, stake, longline, raft, and tray culture methods.
Oysters are marketed primarily as shucked product in
jars
and repack containers, and as shellstock for the half-shell trade and
the
barbecue oyster market. Markets are diversified and include exports to
the East Coast states, retail outlets, restaurants, and
over-the-counter
sales. Medium shellstock sells for between $25-35 per hundred in bulk,
for about $5 per dozen in small allotments, and individual oysters sell
for between $.25-.38 each. The industry production for 1988 was over
1.6
million pounds of shucked meat. Nearly one-half of the oyster
production
is sold as singles, specialty products, and bulk shellstock.
Abalone
California is unique in the United States as the
only
state with an established abalone fishery. As the natural fishery
declined
and market value grew, interest in culturing abalone was inevitable. In
the 1960s large financial commitments were made by several
privately-financed
R&D companies and the state to develop abalone culture technology
at
hatchery sites along the central coast. These companies are now
producing
abalone seed for enhancing natural habitats, for other growers
internationally,
and for gourmet restaurants. There are 15 registered abalone
firms in the state; three
are
producing significant volumes of seed and market animals.
Of the species grown, about 95 percent are red
abalone
and 5 percent are pink or green abalone. The grow-out phase generally
takes
place in land-based, tank and raceway systems, or raft and
barrel-habitat
systems submerged in sheltered marine environments. Hatchery-set
abalone
are grown in tanks until they are about a third of an inch; they may
then
be transferred to suspended containers in tanks or raceways or sold as
seed. At 20-28 months the kelp-fed, 2 inch "abs" are marketed
in gourmet restaurants located primarily on the East and West Coasts of
the U.S. and in Hawaii and Japan. In 1989 an excess of 2.6 million seed
animals and 315,000 food animals were produced. Seed abalone prices
range
from about $.25-.35 each, and food abalone prices are about $40 per
pound.
Mussels
Another fast developing segment of the shellfish
industry
is mussel culture. Mussel farms have been established in Humboldt,
Tomales,
and San Diego Bays, and off the Santa Barbara coastline. Growout
techniques
include thinning and harvest of mussels attached to offshore oil
structures
and tube and bag culture in bay systems. Mussels are sold both
wholesale
and retail by growers, and wholesale prices range from about $1.40-1.85
per pound. State production increased to over 1.5 million pounds in
1989.
Channel Catfish
California's channel catfish industry is one of the
most
profitable aquaculture industries in the state. It is based on
traditional
pond production of channel catfish with some production of the channel
catfish x blue catfish cross.
Most production occurs at locations throughout the
Central
Valley and in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys of southern
California.
Production is also expanding at geothermal sites in northeastern
portions
of the state. Catfish are produced on farms ranging in size from 3-400
acres of surface water, with production ranging from 1500 to 11,975
pounds
per acre.
The state's catfish market structure is somewhat
unique.
There is no processing industry, and only a few small processing units
for channel catfish exist. Most of the product is sold live, primarily
to recreational lakes for fee fishing and to live-tank, foodfish
markets.
The live haul, foodfish market is relatively new. Market outlets are
centered
around Asian and Southeast Asian communities in and around large
metropolitan
centers. Fish are harvested, transported live, and sold to retail
outlets
with holding tanks in urban areas. They are then sold live as a fresh
product
to individual buyers and/or restaurants. Other markets include fry and
fingerling sales to other producers, fingerling sales for farm pond
stocking,
and sale of fresh fish to local restaurants, retail stores, and through
farmers markets.
California growers get a premium price for their
catfish
product. Fingerling sales are about $.04-.05 per inch, and from
$1.40-2.00
per pound. The live, foodfish market range for California annual
production
is about 5 million pounds. Growth is expected in the industry, and
specialized
processing is in the future.
Rainbow Trout and Salmon
Rainbow trout production is one of the oldest
aquaculture
industries in California. Production facilities are located throughout
the state, primarily in association with artesian springs or the lower
discharge water of reservoirs. Production facilities include concrete
and
soil raceways. Most facilities average production rates of almost
15,000
pounds per 450 gallons of water flow.
The rainbow trout industry, like catfish, does
little
processing. Most trout are marketed through the recreational fee
fishing
lakes. Some trout, however, are marketed through the live tank, retail
outlets and in cooperative planting programs with the State resource
agency.
Bid contracts with larger recreational lakes range between $1.45-1.75
per
pound live weight.
California is also a major trout egg producer with
national
and international sales. Approximately 80-100 million eggs are moved
annually.
Other developments now marketed include triploid trout and eggs and
all-female
eggs.
Another rapidly growing segment of the industry is
land-based
rearing of coho and chinook salmon and steelhead rainbow trout. Salmon
and steelhead eggs are hatched and reared at freshwater sites in
northeastern
California and are transferred to coastal tank systems. Here they are
transitioned
to salt water. The steelhead are then grown and sold as whole fish, and
the salmon are sold to the 7- to 13- ounce portion market. Growers are
also using innovative marketing techniques of shipping smaller salmon
to
the northwest and buying back larger salmon for finishing before
selling
to the whole fish market. Several growers are working with Atlantic
salmon
at land-based facilities, including development of Atlantic salmon
broodstock
and egg sources.
Baitfish, Ornamental Fish,
Crustaceans, and Live Feed
With California's large population and love for
recreational
fishing and fish-related hobbies, the state's nonfoodfish aquaculture
industry
is big business. Baitfish production consists primarily of golden
shiners
and fathead minnows. Production is accomplished in ponds with some
fathead
minnows produced in polyculture with channel catfish.
California imports a significant number of golden
shiners
from other states and internally produces about 18-20 million fish
annually.
Wholesale prices for fish run about $50, $80, and $125 per 1000 for
small,
medium, and large, respectively. The wholesale price for fathead
minnows
is about $45 per 1000.
Goldfish, koi-carp, guppies, and aquarium frogs are
produced
for the aquarium trade and the aquarium feeder-fish industry. The
majority
of these are used to feed more valuable fish in the aquarium trade. A
large
segment of this industry, however, produces these same species as
ornamental
fish in the lucrative world of hobby fish. A single fish may sell for
$1.50,
or in the case of some ornamental koi, hundreds to thousands of
dollars.
Annual production of feeder goldfish ranges between $20-32 and $40-60
per
1000 for small and large fish, respectively. Production of these fish
takes
place throughout California in ponds, tanks, and closed systems.
A major aquaculture industry in the state is
production,
harvesting, and sale of artemia (small crustaceans) for the aquarium
industry
and as larval feed for fish and shellfish aquaculture. They are
produced
in managed, hypersaline evaporation salt ponds at a number of sites
located
in the San Francisco Bay Area and desert areas in southeastern
California.
Both the adult and cysts of the ferry shrimp are produced, processed,
and
packaged for national and international markets. They are a
multi-million
dollar commodity and among the most valuable aquaculture commodities in
the state.
The production of red or black marine worms
(tubificid
annelids) also provides an important food source for the aquarium trade
and fish hobbyists. While much of the worms marketed are obtained from
sewage treatment ponds, a substantial amount of the market is supplied
by the controlled production of these thread-like worms in pond systems
receiving the effluent discharge from aquaculture facilities. Several
species
are used, most referred to as either red or black worms. The typical
production
system may be a series of interlinked, shallow ponds or raceway units
receiving
a portion of the discharge from a trout raceway system. Clumps of worms
are harvested, purged to remove gut content, and usually sold to
distributors
on a profit-shared basis. Distributors buy the worms from producers for
about $6-7 per pound. Retail outlets sell the black worms for about
$.99-1.09
per ounce in northern California, and both red and black worms sell for
about $1 per ounce in the Los Angeles area.
Sturgeon and Striped Bass
Among the fastest growing segments of the finfish
industry
are sturgeon, striped bass, and hybrid striped bass culture. One
approach
is to diversify the farm by combining the culture of these experimental
species with an economically viable species such as channel catfish.
This
allows shared facilities and resources and year-round activity and
markets
by separating activities seasonally. A working design incorporates
first-use
water in intensive tank culture of sturgeon and striped bass,
second-use
water is then settled and directed to channel catfish ponds, and
final-use
water is directed toward traditional land agriculture.
Production of these three fish has increased
dramatically
in recent years. Sturgeon fingerlings are sold to about 40 growers
statewide
and to markets nationally and internationally. Processed fish of about
12-16 pounds are marketed to white tablecloth restaurants, with total
production
of foodfish in 1989 exceeding 200,000 pounds. Growers are receiving
about
$3.50-4.50 per pound live weight.
Striped bass are produced primarily for mitigation
of
industrial-caused fish loss in the Sacramento Delta. About one million
yearling-fish and 0.5 million fingerlings were stocked by commercial
growers
in 1989. Contract bids for 1989 year-class fish ranged from $1.20-1.60
each for yearling fish and about $.75 each for fingerlings.
Agencies and Support Institutions
California's industry operates under the
jurisdiction
of a number of State agencies, the primary two being the California
Departments
of Fish & Game (CDFG) and Health Services. The CDFG is the lead
agency.
The California Department of Health Services (CDHS) has regulatory
authority
over all health and sanitation aspects of the shellfish industry,
including
growing waters, harvesting, processing, and shipping of products.
The industry association is the California
Aquaculture
Association (CAA). The CAA works with agencies and the State
Legislature
to improve the industry's position in the state. Its members work with
state and regional aquaculture funding institutions and researchers to
address technical problems and insure an adequate research base for
future
industry growth.
Dr. Conte is an Extension Aquaculture Specialist in
the
Department of Animal Science, Univ. of California, Davis (916) 752-7490.
For more information on aquaculture topics such as
cannel
catfish, state laws, permits, fish pond management, and trout please
contact
your local county Cooperative Extension office. The county office will
work with the UC Davis staff to provide you with available information.
