Aquaculture In The Americas - An Overview

November | December 2009 Feature title: Aquaculture in the Americas - An overview International Aquafeed is published five times a year by Perendale Publishers Ltd of the United Kingdom. All data is published in good faith, based on information received, and while every care is taken to prevent inaccuracies, the publishers accept no liability for any errors or omissions or for the consequences of action taken on the basis of information published. ©Copyright 2009 Perendale Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner. Printed by Perendale Publishers Ltd. ISSN: 1464-0058

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FOCUS:Americas

Aquaculture in the Americas An overview by Dave Conley and Tor-Eddie Fossbakk, The Aquaculture Communications Group, LLC, Novi, MI, USA Tilapia and catfish producers are experiencing difficult times in the US due to high feed costs in the case of catfish producers and reluctant consumer spending in restaurants in the case of tilapia. These are just two of several significant findings identified in our special report on Aquaculture in the Americas

Canada Canadian aquaculture production has doubled from 82,487 tonnes 10 years ago to 170,172 tonnes in 2007. The corresponding value increased from CA$392 million to CA$846 million. Production had peaked in 2002, reaching 171,803 tonnes, but fell again in the following years when the salmon production was affected by an infectious disease. Although production rebounded after three years, it still hovers around the 2002 level (see Figure 1).

Finfish production grew at an annual average rate of 7.4 percent over the past decade and increased from 63,918 tonnes in 1997 to 129,949 tonnes in 2007. The share of shellfish production has been smaller but it contributes significantly to the stability and diversity of the sector. Shellfish production grew at a higher rate, 8.2 percent, than finfish and more than doubled to 39,365 tonnes over the past decade. However, its production level in 1997 was three and a half times lower than finfish, making it difficult for the industry to keep pace with

"Nearly 90% of Canada’s aquaculture products are sold in export markets in some 20 countries"

Figure 1: Source: Statistics Canada (2008)

Table 1: Projected growth in Canadian aquaculture through 2020 Date

Salmon

Other Finfish

Trout

Mussels Oysters

Other Shellfish

Total

Production (000 tonnes) 2013

140,000

10,700

10,400

31,700

18,400

2,600

213,800

2020

197,000

16,000

15,600

47,700

27,600

4,000

307,900

Value ($ million) 2013

850,000

60,000

72,000

46,000

27,000

24,000

1,079,000

2020

1,200,000

90,000

108,000

68,000

41,000

36,000

1,543,000

Source: Fisheries and Oceans (2009) 22 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 09

the growth of finfish production. The value of the production in that period increased from CA$25,792 million to CA$70,018 million. It is projected that with appropriate strategic action, Canadian aquaculture output could increase by approximately eight percent to more than 214,000 tonnes within five years, generating farm-gate revenues of more than CA$1.1 billion. By 2020, sector output could exceed 308,000 tonnes and generate total farm-gate revenues in excess of CA$1.5 billion (see Table 1). Nearly 90 percent of Canada’s aquaculture products are sold in export markets in some 20 countries. The largest export market for Canada is the United States with 96 percent of sales in 2007. Proximity to the US markets and consequent lower transportation costs influence this market concentration. In Europe, France is a distinct destination. In Asia, Japan and Taiwan stand out among a few other countries. Total value of export was CA$570 million in 2007 (Statistics Canada, 2008). Exports of aquaculture products from Canada have been consistently greater than aquaculture imports. Imports accounted for less than four percent of total aquaculture trade

United States Aquaculture production is composed of food fish, ornamental fish, baitfish, molluscs, crustaceans, aquatic plants and algae, and some reptiles such as alligators and turtles. The catfish industry is the largest sector, accounting for over 40 percent of all sales. Catfish production in open freshwater ponds is concentrated in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Figure 2: US imports of Atlantic salmon 2006-2009, by month Source: NMFS/Gunnar Knapp

Other major food fish species are trout, salmon, tilapia, hybrid striped bass, sturgeon, walleye and yellow perch. Aside from fish, US aquaculture produces freshwater crawfish, mainly in Louisiana and shrimp in brackish ponds in South Carolina, Texas and Hawaii. The industry also farms mollusc species such as abalone, oysters, clams and mussels. In 2008, the latest data available, US consumption of fishery products was 7.26kg (16lbs) of edible meat per person, according to the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Fisheries of the United States 2008 report. This was down 0.14kg (0.3lbs) compared with 2007. The same report stated that consumers spent an estimated USS69.8 billion for fishery products last year, divided amongst food service (US$46.8 billion), retail sales (US$22.7 billion) and industrial fish products (US$389.4 million). The industry contributed approximately US$35 billion (value added) to the US GNP. Commercial landings of fish to US ports were 3.76 billion kgs (8.3 billion lbs), valued at US$4.4 billion in 2008. The volume was about 11 percent less than the previous year, while the value increased five percent. Overall US aquaculture production is about US$1 billion, of which only 20 percent is marine species and the balance being freshwater species.

Salmon Dr Gunnar Knapp, a scientist at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, has compared US imports of farmed Atlantic salmon for 2009 and 2008, through the month of July (the most recent data available).

Figure 3: US cumulative Atlantic salmon imports, January-July, 2006-2009. Source: NMFS/Gunnar Knapp

not been able to benefit from the decline Dr Knapp said the cumulative US in Chilean supply, most likely due to the lack imports of Atlantic salmon for the year-toof available capacity in the Canadian Atlantic date were remarkably similar to the past salmon farming industry. According to Dr four years. Thus there appears to have been Knapp, cumulative imports from Canada are relatively little change in total US Atlantic salmon imports. There has been a significant decline in cumulative imports from Chile. JanuaryJuly imports are down from 60,434 tonnes in 2007 to 56,984 tonnes in 2008 and just 40,990 tonnes in 2009, about a 16,000 tonnes decline from last year. At the same time, cumulative imports from Norway are up d r a m a t i c a l l y, by about 9000 tonnes over last year. Imports from the Faeroe Islands and the The premier meeting point for the feed and food industry in 2010. United Kingdom Addressing common concerns and identifying opportunities. increased 4000 Join us in Cancun, Mexico!. For more information visit: tonnes and 2200 tonnes, respectively. Hosted jointly by in co-operation Canadian FAO & IFIF with Conafab exporters have

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FOCUS:Americas

FOCUS:Americas about the same as last year for the first seven months of the year. Based on recent wholesale price data from the Alaska Department of Revenue, Dr Knapp said the market picture is varied for Alaska wild salmon species. Compared with the period May-August 2008, in May-August 2009, frozen H&G sockeye salmon prices were higher, while they were stable for pink and chum, and sharply down for chinook and coho. Prices for fresh H&G salmon showed increase for pink salmon, stable for sockeye and chum, while down for chinook and coho. Prices for canned pink and sockeye salmon were up and the prices for salmon roe were sharply down for all species.

Trout The US Department of Agriculture’s Statistics Service (NASS) reports farmed trout in number of fish, not volume, and value. The 2008 production value was about nine percent lower than the previous year, and totalled US$79.7 million. Idaho is the largest single trout producing state and accounted for 44 percent of the overall value. The number of trout 30.5cm (12 inches) and longer sold during 2008 totaled 40.4 million fish, down 31 percent from the previous year. The value of sales for the 2008 marketing year was US$72.4 million, down nine percent from 2007. The number of 15.2-30.5cm (six-12 inch) trout sold during 2008 totaled 4.61 million fish, a decrease of 15 percent from 2007. The total value of sales was US$5.78 million during 2008, an 11 percent decrease from the previous year. The number of 2.54-15.2cm (one-to-six inch) trout sold during 2008 totaled 9.53 million, a six percent decrease from the previous year. The total value of sales was US$1.50 million, down 17 percent from last year's total.

Catfish US farmed catfish processed during August 2009 totaled 18 million kg (39.5 million lbs) round weight, down four percent from August 2008, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) September 2009 report. Cumulative processed catfish (round weight) reached 145 million kg (319.5 million lbs) through August 2009; about 11 percent less than for the same period last year. The US catfish industry has been

plagued by increasing cost of production, primarily from increased feed prices. Farms have shut down with resulting job losses. It was reported that some farmers were losing 25 cents for each dollar spent raising the fish. Mississippi and Arkansas, the two largest catfish farming states, have seen their production areas shrink over the last few years. Catfish pond acreage in Mississippi was only about 28,328ha (70,000 acres) as of late July this year, compared to more than 45,730ha (113,000) acres in 2001. Arkansas’ catfish pond acreage fell to an 11-year low of only 10,117ha (25,000 acres) by the end of 2008. The declining trend is expected to continue.

Tilapia US tilapia producers have had a hard time with the recession during the past year, according to Dr Kevin Fitzsimmons, Professor at Arizona State University. Some long established farms in New York and California have ceased operations, as input prices rose while sales (prices and volumes) stagnated. The live sale market to Asian restaurants and stores has been soft, with fewer customers and less spending per customer. The restaurant demand for fresh fillet imports has also been soft and imports have slowed. However, demand for frozen, value-added fillet products has increased significantly. It appears that cash strapped US consumers have spent less in restaurants but have increased purchases of frozen fillet products in grocery stores. Many supermarkets now carry a dozen or more tilapia products and tilapia trails only salmon in grocery store sales volume. Across Latin America additional farms have opened and production has increased. In early 2008, the drop in production from China enabled the Latin American farms to increase prices and sales volume, according to Dr Fitzsimmons. As China came back online and the credit crises hit, many smaller farms and exporters were hurt at the end of 2008 and early 2009. Larger farms with established credit lines and long term supply contracts were not greatly affected. Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, with strong domestic markets, have done relatively well and continue to increase yield per farm and number of farms. Technology improvements and better broodstocks have allowed farms to continue profitably even as input costs have

26 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 09

risen faster than tilapia sales. Northern Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana are hot spots for new production. Mexico competes with Brazil as the largest producer of tilapia in the Americas, and considering the additional imports of tilapia from China, Mexico is the second largest consumer of tilapia products after the US.

Mexico Aquaculture production in Mexico has experienced growth recently, mainly due to the growth and development of shrimp mariculture. The current trend is towards production of other species, such as tilapia, trout, catfish, carp, oysters and ornamental fish. Aquaculture’s share in Mexico’s total fisheries production has grown steadily, becoming 20 percent in 2008, with a volume of 290,000 tonnes. Of the 284,000 people directly involved in fisheries, 25,000 (about nine percent of the total) are engaged in aquaculture. The Mexican government’s policies to boost aquaculture production include: • Strengthening Federal aquaculture centres to provide seed for producers as well as for stocking reservoirs for aquaculture • Genetic improvement of aquaculture organisms to provide alternatives to coastal fishing communities; species include: tilapia, trout, catfish, carp, bass and Cataño • Support for breeding centers of tilapia fry, shrimp post-larvae and oyster seed • Providing for strategic capital infrastructure, machinery and equipment and biological material for genetic improvement. • Support for rural aquaculture projects, benefiting 193 farmers and their families • Strengthening restructuring in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to promote aquaculture production in the Campeche Sound • Creating Productive Systems Committees, which are participatory planning mechanisms, to determine the strategic requirements for projects to be competitive • Promoting integrated production and marketing companies; business models that reduce production costs, especially with the purchase of food

and biological inputs, complemented by creating new financing schemes •

Enabling market development through organizing business meetings between producers and buyers (such as stores, restaurants, hotels, etc.)

•

Technology development and transfer for commercial-scale production to take advantage of aquaculture and mariculture opportunities; done in connection with various educational institutions primarily with high value species such as: shrimp, tilapia, mackerel, snapper, octopus, sole and mussels

Significant efforts are being made, but the road ahead is still long. The National Umbrella Program for Fishing and Aquaculture encourages strategic projects be undertaken to harness the productive potential of aquaculture and mariculture in Mexico by: integrating projects from biological inputs to consolidated marketing; cultivating commercially important species in intensive systems (tilapia, trout and catfish); increasing use of

technology; diversifying and increasing farm scale; increasing marine fish culture (cobia, puffers, snappers, etc.); encouraging cultivation of native species; undertaking water quality certification of areas for shellfish culture (oyster) and funding seed, juvenile and fry genetic development.

Brazil

fish farmers and about 1000 marine shrimp farmers. Brazil has 90 research institutions involved in aquaculture. Although the industry has been growing steadily during the past decade (15 percent per year), its expansion potential has not been well exploited. Aquaculture research is dispersed and is characterised by a lack of integration between the various sectors, research institutions and aqua-farmers. Brazil’s aquaculture production increased from 4000 tonnes in 1980 to 20,000 tonnes

Brazil’s aquaculture industry can be divided into six main sectors defined by the type of cultured organism: freshwater fish, prawn and frogs; marine shrimp, mussels and oysters. Total production was an estimated 270,000 tonnes in 2006, representing US$460 million gross revenue. Freshwater fish leads production, followed by marine shrimp. Figure 4: Fish production (capture fisheries and aquaculture) There are about in Brazil between 1980 and 2007 (FAO 2006) 100,000 freshwater

november-December 09 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 27

FOCUS: Americas voirs has increased and currently is a priority of government agencies. Mollusks are raised in long-lines, lantern nets and baskets placed in shallow coastal waters. More than 60 species have been Figure 5: Brazilian fisheries production divided into cultured in Brazil but four main sectors: Marine Fishery, Inland Fishery, commercial producMarine Aquaculture and Inland aquaculture tion is dominated by a few species in the two main sectors: freshwater (tilapia, carpa tambaqui, pacu and tambacu) and marine aquaculture (shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei; mussels, Perna perna; oysters, Crassostrea gigas and C. rizophorae). Freshwater fish represent about 70 Figure 6: Fresh water aquaculture production: percent of total aquacStatistical data gathered from the 11 Brazilian ulture production (see states’ producers Figure 6) and is dominated by tilapias (42 percent) and carps (27 percent) (see Figure 6). Carp species are frequently farmed in polyculture integrated with swine production. The state of Ceará is the larger freshwater aquaculture producer, mainly tilapia (25,600 tonnes/year), followed by Rio Grande do Sul Figure 7: Marine aquaculture production. Statistical (23,300 tonnes/year), data gathered from the five Brazilian states’ producers São Paulo (21,800 tonnes/year) and Santa in 1990 and to 290,000 tonnes in 2007 (see Catarina (20,000 tonnes/year). Potential native Figure 4), representing 26 percent of Brazilian species include tambaqui (Colossoma macrofish production (see Figure 5). pomum) and Pintado (Pseudoplatystoma The industry is based on small-scale procorruscans). duction units with more than 85 percent of Brazil also produces turtles (Podocnemis farms being smaller than two ha, while less expansa and P. unifilis), alligator (Caiman than 0.1 percent are greater than 50ha. The crocodiles) and algae (Porphira sp and exception is marine shrimp with about 25 Gracillaria sp) but these are of minor percent of farms greater than 10ha. economic significance. Other native species such as pirarucu Generally, farmers buy seed from private (Arapaima gigas), matrinxã (Brycon cephalus), hatcheries and grow-out of fish, marine piracanjuba (Brycon orbignianus), pintado shrimps or freshwater prawns is done in (Pseudoplatystoma coruscans) and cachara earthen ponds. Fish cage culture in reser-

(Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum) have been farmed in pilot scale and found promising. At present, marine fish farming is experiencing expansion, particularly cobia (Rachycentron canadum) farming. Brazil’s 90 research institutions involved in aquaculture (including universities) indicate a strong scientific base to support development. However, extension services are inadequate and likely the main constraint to industry growth. National research priorities and strategies include multi-institutional research programs focused on regional necessities along with projects promoting more integration between research institutions and aquaculture producers. During the past decade, much effort has focused on introducing responsible aquaculture practices. Several Best Management Practices have been established and the industry is more responsible than it was a few years ago but has some way to go.

Acknowledgement: Mexico Adapted from information supplied by Hector Ulises Estrada-Ley, Press Sub-director of CONAPESCA, Government of Mexico.

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19-20 May 2010 at Aviemore

Now an established, major event, Aquaculture UK will be held again in May 2010. With visitors from 18 countries as far afield as Sweden, Chile and the United States, make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with buyers and decision makers from the aquaculture industry worldwide.

Brazil

Here’s what exhibitors said of the 2008 exhibition...

Adapted from information and graphs by Rodrigo O.A. Ozório and Wagner C. Valenti, in Current status and future perspectives of the Brazilian aquaculture sector (2009).

Canada

“The show went well for EWOS - our costs were much lower than Glasgow and we got the audience we wanted”

Information supplied by Aquaculture Management Directorate, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Fisheries and Oceans. (2009). National Aquaculture Strategic Action Plan Initiative – Strengthening Sustainable Aquaculture Development in Canada. Ottawa. Available at, http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/ aquaculture/lib-bib/nasapi-insapa/nasapi-inpasa-eng. htm#ch2 Statistics Canada. (2008). Aquaculture Statistics 2007. Ottawa. Available at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/ bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=23-222-XWE&lang=eng

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Douglas Low - MD Ewos

“Aviemore was a good location and the show had a certain spirit which is always hard to create”.

“Many thanks for delivering a very successful exhibition and return to Aviemore”

Guy Mace - MD Biomar

Alan Stewart - Director Landcatch.

inforMation:

The Aquaculture Communications Group, LLC 22483 Ennishore Dr., Novi, MI 48375, USA Tel: +1 248 305 9339 and 154 Gray Crescent, Kanata, ON K2K 3L9, Canada Tel: +1 613 294 3078 Website: www.aquacomgroup.com

“The feedback regarding Aviemore seems to have been very positive and it had a much better atmosphere than Glasgow”

The solution behind the solution.

Will Jewison - Skretting 28 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 09

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Aquaculture in the Americas - An overview

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