The Economic Feasibility of Aquaculture

Abstract

HE U. S. freshwater fishing industry is beset by severe economic problems. The annual value of the catch from the Great Lakes, a primary source of U. S. freshwater fish, declined from $10.8 million in 1950 to $6.1 million in 1969 [16]. The commercial catch of wild catfish also has declined sharply in recent years [15]. The decline in the value of the freshwater catch can be attributed to several causes: overfishing, sea lamprey invasion of the Great Lakes, industrial and agricultural pollution of streams and lakes, thermal pollution, and increased foreign competition. Aquaculture is the art and science of cultivating or propagating water-dwelling organisms in a controlled environment [7, 8]. Interest in aquaculture as an alternative way of obtaining fish supplies has increased as the commercial catch of freshwater fish has declined. The technique is often cited as a highly efficient means of increasing food and protein production to relieve pressures on the food supplies induced by population growth [7, 11]. In today's ecologyconscious society, enthusiasm about aquaculture also has developed because it represents a possible economic use for the heated waste water discharged from electric power generating plants. This large source of heated water might be used for producing fish in the Great Lakes region, where up to now fish raising has not been profitable because cool temperatures have produced short growing seasons and low fish growth rates. Whether aquaculture will realize much of its economic potential is not known with certainty. Most studies to date have focused on the engineering and biological aspects of aquaculture. Consequently, little information is available on