National Science and Technology Council
Health, Safety, and Food Committee

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIC PLAN

 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Development of the U.S. aquaculture industry has great potential for immediate and long-term benefit to the nation. Global demand for seafood is projected to increase 70 per cent in the next 30 years, while harvests from capture fisheries are stable or declining. A consensus is growing that a dramatic increase in aquaculture is needed to supply future seafood needs. Presently over 60 per cent of the U.S. seafood demand is met by imports, resulting in a fisheries trade deficit of several billion dollars annually. Research and development in support of sustainable aquaculture production will improve the ability of the U.S. to supply American consumers and the global marketplace with high quality, safe, wholesome, and affordable U.S. fish and shellfish.

Scientific/technological goals to support development of a globally competitive U.S. aquaculture industry include (1) Improve the efficiency of U.S. aquaculture production; (2) Improve aquaculture production systems; (3) Improve the sustainability and environmental compatibility of aquaculture production; (4) Ensure and improve the quality, safety, and variety of aquaculture products for consumers; (5) Improve the marketing of U.S. aquaculture products; and (6) Improve information dissemination, technology transfer, and access to global information and technology in aquaculture.

This Plan describes principal areas of research and development needed to achieve these goals, and outlines an implementation program to address these needs.

II. STRATEGIC PLAN

A. Goals and Opportunities

Vision for U.S. Aquaculture: To develop a globally competitive, technologically advanced aquaculture industry in the United States to meet consumer demand for cultivated aquatic foods and products that are of high quality, safe, affordable, and wholesome and are produced in an environmentally responsible manner with maximum opportunity for profitability and sustainability in all sectors of the industry.

Goals and Opportunities:

1. Develop and transfer new scientific knowledge to make the U.S. aquaculture industry competitive in a global marketplace through:

• Increased efficiency and profitability of aquaculture production systems.
• Improved aquaculture production systems.
• Improved sustainability and environmental compatibility of aquaculture production.
• Assured quality and safety of aquaculture products.
• Improved marketing of aquaculture products.
• Improved technology transfer, information dissemination, and access to global information and technology in aquaculture

2. Through increased aquaculture production, reduce the fisheries trade deficit and significantly increase exports of aquaculture products.
3. Ensure that aquaculture development contributes to job creation and growth of the U.S. economy.
4. Ensure that the industry's long-term development is sustainable and compatible with responsible environmental stewardship.
5. Provide American consumers with domestically produced, high quality, safe, competitively priced, and wholesome aquaculture products.
6. Develop information for and educate seafood consumers and retailers about the nutritional composition, characteristics, proper handling, presentation, and preparation of seafood species and varieties.
7. Establish and maintain world leadership in fundamental science in support of U.S. aquaculture development.
8. Enhance partnerships in support of aquaculture within Federal agencies, among Federal and State agencies, and the private sector.
9. Encourage aquaculture's contribution to the enhancement, protection, and maintenance of public and private aquatic resources.
10. Evaluate the potential for development of alternative aquaculture species, production systems, and markets.
11. Evaluate options for improving the regulatory framework for aquaculture in support of both commercial and public sector U.S. aquaculture development.

Discussion:

Aquaculture--the farming of aquatic organisms--has recently undergone rapid expansion in the U.S., increasing four-fold in production and value between 1980 and 1990. Over 55 per cent of the increase in production and value was attributable to one species -- catfish; the potential for development of other sectors of U.S. aquaculture has lagged behind. Aquaculture can provide American consumers with high quality, safe, wholesome, and affordable seafood and other important fisheries products. It has created jobs, contributed to the growth of the U.S. economy, and helped reduce the U.S. trade deficit. It can be based on sustainable production of renewable resources and can preserve environmental quality. However, despite recent growth, U.S. aquaculture presently supplies less than 10 percent of the nation's seafood needs and the U.S ranks only ninth in the world (1991 figures) in the value of its aquaculture products.

Further development of the U.S. aquaculture industry is in the national interest. Per capita consumption of seafood by Americans has increased from 12.5 pounds in 1980 to 15 pounds today. The Department of Commerce projects that, based on the current rate of population growth, U.S. seafood needs will increase by more than 1.4 million metric tons, round weight, between 1990 and 2025, if per capita consumption remains constant. Most of the United States demand for seafood has been met by overseas production. The value of imported fisheries products more than doubled during the 1980's and more than 60 percent of the edible seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. Although the U.S. is the world's largest exporter of seafood, it is also the second largest importer. The annual U.S. trade deficit in edible seafood was $2.8 billion in 1993. This trade deficit is the largest for any agricultural commodity. In 1988, seafood accounted for more than 25 per cent of the value of all food and live animals imported into the U.S.

In the United States and throughout the world, natural commercial fisheries stocks are threatened. Many commercial stocks are now fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted. Most scientists agree that the natural fisheries are being harvested at or above their maximum sustainable yield. A consensus is developing that only a dramatic increase in aquaculture can supply increased demand for seafood. Worldwide seafood demand is projected to increase over 60 percent as projected world population grows from 5.3 billion to 8.5 billion by 2025. With stable or declining capture fisheries harvests, aquaculture production would have to increase five-fold from present levels to supply the global demand for seafood. The United States has an important opportunity to develop an aquaculture industry to serve national needs in a global marketplace. As the domestic industry develops, it can meet the consumer demand for seafood and aquatic resources with high quality, safe, wholesome, and affordable products produced in an environmentally responsible manner with maximum opportunity for profitability in all sectors of the industry.

The continued growth and competitive position of the U.S. aquaculture industry in a global marketplace will be directly related to the resources invested in research and technology development. The major research needs and opportunities for aquaculture are not unlike those of other agricultural commodities; however, the state of the science may not be as well advanced. The diversity of species cultured and of production systems employed presents added challenges for aquaculture's future research agenda.

An expanded research and technology development program for U.S. aquaculture offers significant benefits to both producers and consumers of aquatic products by enhancing the production efficiency and quality of aquatic organisms cultivated for both food and non-food purposes. It would also help assure environmental compatibility of aquaculture systems, enhance understanding of biological systems and processes, lead to development of new or improved aquatic products and processes, and contribute to conservation, enhancement, or utilization of important genetic resources.

There is a need for expanded and improved extension educational programs, in cooperation with industry and researchers, to communicate promising research results to demonstrate profitable technologies, and to educate consumers, seafood retailers, and the public. There is also a need for other support services to the industry including public information access and retrieval systems, aquatic plant and animal health services, marketing services, and statistical and economic support services.

B. Policy Issues/Questions

Principal national policies issues and questions related to U.S. aquaculture development are:

1. The development of a sustainable U.S. aquaculture industry should incorporate compatible economic, environmental, and societal goals and ensure an appropriate regulatory framework to accomplish these goals
2. With significant declines in global capture fisheries, growing demand for fisheries products, and the United States's overwhelming dependence on imported seafood, expansion of U.S. aquaculture can help assure sustainable domestic production of high quality seafood.
3. Investment in aquaculture research and development programs is justified in terms of U.S. leadership in fundamental science; long-term economic growth; jobs creation; expansion of domestic and export markets for aquaculture products, supporting equipment, supplies, and services; decreased pressure on threatened commercial stocks; and reduction of the trade deficit.
4. U.S. aquaculture products must be of high quality, safe, wholesome, and competitively priced for consumers.

 

C. Scientific/Technological Goals and Research Needs

Improve the Efficiency of U.S. Aquaculture Production

There are opportunities to substantially improve production efficiency through research in the areas of genetics, aquatic animal health, reproduction and early development, growth biology, and nutrition. Research is needed on improving husbandry techniques and production efficiency. Principal needs include:

Genetic Resources. There has been only limited genetic on improvement in genetic stocks so there are major opportunities in traditional animal breeding, broodstock development, germplasm preservation, molecular genetics, and allied technologies. Aquaculture research can also assist in the conservation and utilization of important aquatic germplasm.

Research Needs:

1. Improve understanding of quantitative genetics of cultivated aquatic species to increase the efficiency of selective breeding and broodstock development programs.
2. Identify and characterize important aquatic germplasm including gene mapping and characterization of genomes of important aquatic species.
3. Improve understanding of the molecular and biochemical basis of gene structure, regulation, and expression.
4. Identify and manuipulate genetic mechanisms of sex determination in aquatic species.
5. Develop techniques to enable identify and map quantitative trait loci and develop marker-assisted selection programs for cultured aquatic organisms.
6. Improve the precision and efficiency of gene transfer technologies.
7. Improve technologies for chromosome set manipulation.
8. Improve technologies for the cryopreservation of gametes and embryos.
9. Improve methods for identification of species, stocks, and populations.
10. Improve understanding of genetic interactions between cultivated aquatic species and natural populations.

Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management. Despite progress in aquatic animal health, significant losses to diseases still occur. Research is needed to improve the survival, growth, vigor, and well-being of cultivated stocks through improved technologies and practices, including population health management. Potential products and associated market opportunities resulting from an increased research investment in aquatic animal health include gene and molecular probes; gene therapy and improved disease detection/diagnosis technologies; specific pathogen free and disease resistant broodstock; safe, effective vaccines and other biologics, and drugs; and improved delivery systems for these agents.

Research Needs:

1. Identify critical elements of population health management for aquatic production systems.
2. Improve basic understanding of host immunity, resistance, and susceptibility to specific diseases including genetic and nutritional factors, environmental effects, and contaminants.
3. Improve understanding of pathogens affecting aquatic organisms, including characteristics, life cycles, mechanisms of pathogenesis, and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.
4. Improve understanding of the mechanisms of disease transmission, including carriers and carrier states, pathogen movements, and environmental factors.
5. Improve technologies (including non-lethal) to detect and diagnose pathogens and diseases and to distinguish pathogen presence from disease.
6. Improve gene transfer technologies and traditional breeding to enhance the genetic basis of disease resistance.
7. Improve understanding of the pharmacokinetics of the uptake and residues of vaccines and other biologics, and drugs in cultivated aquatic organisms.
8. Conduct research and development to support approval and licensing of safe and effective new animal drugs, and vaccines and other biologics, for aquaculture.
9. Improve understanding of the interactions between cultivated aquatic species and natural populations from an aquatic animal health perspective.

Reproduction and Early Development. There are significant opportunities for research leading to improved reproduction and early development of cultivated aquatic organisms. Successful research programs in the reproduction and early development of cultivated aquatic organisms could enable year-round maturation and production, on demand, of gametes and fry of economically valuable species. Research is needed to demonstrate the benefit from specialized broodstock, early life stages, and delivery systems for compounds to enhance reproductive efficiency.

Research Needs:

1. Improve basic understanding of environmental, hormonal, molecular, biochemical, and genetic control of reproduction of cultivated aquatic organisms including the control of sexual differentiation, gametogenesis, maturation, spawning, gamete quality, fertilization, metamorphosis, early development, ontogeny, and stress-reproduction interactions.
2. Refine technologies for the physical, cellular, and molecular basis of gynogenesis, and androgenesis.
3. Improve delivery systems to administer natural and synthetic hormones and improve understanding of uptake, metabolism, and residues of administered hormones and their byproducts.
4. Undertake research leading to the Federal approval of hormones to control reproduction and enhance spawning of aquatic animals.
5. Improve technologies to culture larval fish, including live food culture, microparticulate diet development, and determination of optimal rearing systems and environmental conditions for early life stages.

Growth, Development, and Nutrition. There are substantial opportunities for research and technology development to improve the growth, development, and nutrition of cultivated aquatic organisms. Goals would include increased survival, faster growth rates, better feed conversion rates, and improved environmental tolerances. There are also significant opportunities to improve feed formulation and feeding strategies and to reduce the dependence on marine protein in aquaculture diets.

Research Needs:

1. Improve understanding of the nutrient and energy requirements of cultivated aquatic species.
2. Evaluate the use of various feedstuffs for commercial aquaculture diets.
3. Improve understanding of the efficiency of absorption, digestion, and assimilation, and develop techniques to increase efficiency of these processes.
4. Improve feed formulation, feeding strategies, and feed delivery systems for increased production efficiency and improved water quality.
5. Develop alternatives to marine fish-derived proteins in aquacultural diets.
6. Improve understanding of the environmental, hormonal, biochemical, and genetic basis of growth and nutrition of all life stages of cultivated aquatic organisms.
7. Improve understanding and management of mechanisms of cheomreception in feed identification, so that non-traditional feeds can be recognized and accepted by cultivated aquatic species.
8. Improve delivery systems to administer hormones, nutrients, and other growth-enhancing substances, and improve understanding of the pharmacokinetics of uptake and residues of administered substances.

Improve Aquaculture Production Systems There are opportunities to improve the performance of aquaculture production systems through applications of innovative engineering approaches and technologies. There is significant potential to apply to aquaculture technologies and engineering that are presently employed in other sectors of the economy, including municipal waste treatment, computer systems, defense, and the aerospace industry.

Research Needs:

1. Improve biological, engineering, and economic design criteria for aquaculture production systems in land-based, nearshore, and offshore environments.
2. Improve efficiency and economic viability of water reuse systems through improved system design and treatment technologies.
3. Develop affordable, efficient technologies for inventorying aquaculture stocks in situ.
4. Develop more efficient and affordable aeration technologies for aquaculture systems.
5. Develop improved harvesting systems for aquaculture.

Improve the Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture Production Systems  There are significant opportunities for research and technology development to improve the sustainability and environmental compatibility of aquaculture systems. Of primary concern is the protection and conservation of the nation's water resources. Beneficial results could include improved water utilization; reduced waste output from aquaculture systems; improved waste management; development of economically viable uses of waste byproducts; and reduced costs of waste treatment. Additionally, new markets for innovative water reuse systems and waste management technologies could be developed.

Research Needs:

1. Improve understanding of factors and processes contributing to enhanced water quality in aquaculture systems.
2. Improve understanding of the generation, characteristics, and effects of aquacultural wastes.
3. Assess impacts of aquaculture production systems on surrounding environments.
4. Improve diets, feed utilization, and nutrient digestibility and retention to reduce wastes.
5. Improve efficiency in utilization of surface and ground water supplies in aquacultural systems.
6. Develop and evaluate alternative methods and management strategies to reduce predation in aquaculture systems.

Ensure and Improve the Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers The development of improved means to assure safety and quality of aquaculture products through innovative processing technologies and new product development represent important opportunities for aquaculture. Research can lead to new techniques to improve the freshness, color, flavor, texture, taste, nutritional characteristics, and shelflife of cultivated fish and shellfish. Practical technologies can be developed to detect, assay and reduce toxins, contaminants, and residues in seafood. Development and adoption of uniform quality standards throughout the aquaculture industry and assurance of product safety and high quality will improve consumer confidence in domestically cultivated seafood.

There are also opportunities to improve technologies to process seafood into new or improved, value-added products. These can contribute to both domestic and export markets. Development and adoption of improved packaging technologies can enhance the marketability of aquaculture products. In addition to improving seafood products, there are substantial opportunities to improve technologies for the production of aquatic organisms and novel aquatic products and biomaterials having biomedical, pharmacological, agricultural, recreational, or industrial uses. There is also a need to acquire data necessary to gain approval for additional animal drugs that are safe and effective, and to develop culture and husbandry techniques designed to reduce disease and so reduce the need for use of drugs.

Research Needs:

1. Improve production and processing methodologies to reduce chemical and microbial residues.
2. Develop analytical methods for the affordable, rapid detection of microbial and biological toxins, chemical residues, and human pathogens.
3. Develop and improve processing, packaging, and preservation technologies.
4. Determine the effects of new processing and packaging technologies on the consumer acceptance of aquacultural products.
5. Improve understanding and control of off-flavor in aquaculture production systems.
6. Expand understanding of the contribution of aquaculture products to human nutrition.
7. Develop new product forms and value added products.
8. Improve technologies for production of novel aquatic products.

Improve the Marketing of U.S. Aquaculture Products The development of sound marketing strategies is crucial to the orderly and progressive development of U.S. aquaculture. Aquaculture offers high quality, fresh, dependable, and nutritious products. As consumption of seafood by Americans continues to expand, domestic aquaculture should help supply the demand. There is a need to improve marketing education for producers, processors, and consumers related to characteristics and handling of aquaculture/seafood products, and home processing, preparation, and nutritional quality of these products. There are also substantial opportunities to market U.S. aquaculture products internationally to help meet increasing global demand for seafood and to generically promote seafood in cooperation with the capture fishery.

U.S. aquaculture faces strong competition from foreign imports. Domestic and international marketing strategies must be based on a clear understanding of marketing structures and opportunities. Marketing strategies should target new domestic and international markets, including specialty markets, import replacement, and export development. Additionally, there is a substantial market opportunity for private aquaculture in the sale of products to State and Federal agencies, and to international communities, for enhancement of natural stocks, mitigation, and sport fisheries.

Research Needs:

1. Improve understanding of seafood and aquaculture product consumption trends, market structure, market access, market elasticity, regional preferences, product form, and demand equations from a regional, national, and international perspective.
2. Develop improved crop and marketing reports for aquaculture commodities.
3. Develop a more comprehensive and consistent reporting base for U.S. aquaculture production and value.
4. Develop a consistent, comprehensive reporting base for foreign aquaculture production.
5. Improve understanding and definition of market relationships among domestic and foreign aquaculture products and traditional fisheries products

Improve Technology Transfer, Information Dissemination, and Access to Global Information and Technology in Aquaculture  The U.S. aquaculture industry can benefit greatly from improvements in technology transfer programs, information dissemination, and access to information and technology that is generated and adopted in foreign countries. The U.S. should be the world leader as the repository for global information and technology, using modern technology for communication and dissemination. Development of international information retrieval networks and partnerships could improve access to important technology. The development of appropriate data bases linked to electronic delivery systems would enhance information exchange and facilitate timely communication and implementation of the latest research results and technological advances to the industry. There are particular opportunities in the areas of text retrieval, bibliographic services, interactive video, including multi-media expert systems, and distance education, including satellite teleconferencing.

Research, Technology Transfer, and Information Needs:

1. Expand international scientific exchange programs with countries having advanced aquaculture expertise, to enable U.S. aquaculturists to learn more about technologies and advances worldwide.
2. Develop international information retrieval networks and partnerships.
3. Develop interlinked global aquaculture databases
4. Develop and apply expert systems technologies for broad application.
5. Develop national and international distance learning and technology transfer programs via satellite.
6. Develop a national information clearinghouse for efficient retrieval and access to global information on aquaculture.
7. Improve communications networks with the U.S. aquaculture industry to ensure that technological needs and opportunities are apparent and can be readily addresed.
8. Foster commercialization of promising research and technology through demonstration projects and commercial field trials.

D. International Dimension

World population is projected to grow from 5.3 billion in 1990 to 8.5 billion by 2025. Assuming per capita seafood consumption remains stable at about 19 kilograms, global seafood demand would grow from 97.4 million metric tons in 1990 to 156.5 million metric tons by 2025. Since capture fisheries appear to have reached their sustained harvest limits, world aquaculture production would have to increase by almost 5 times -- to 75.2 million metric tons -- by 2025 to supply world seafood demand. This presents a premier international market opportunity for a broad variety of high-quality U.S. aquaculture products, supplies, equipment, and allied services.

The United States is the world's largest exporter of fisheries products ($2.8 billion in 1990); however, the U.S. is also, after Japan, the second biggest importer (over $9 billion in 1990). We now import over 60 percent of our fish and shellfish, making fisheries imports the largest contributor to the trade imbalance among agricultural products. Expansion of domestic aquaculture is the best opportunity to reduce this deficit and further expand fisheries exports.

While recent developments are encouraging, the United States remains a relatively minor player on the world aquaculture stage. Despite being a major seafood market, the U.S. ranks only ninth in the world in value of its aquaculture products. Other nations, including China, Japan, Norway, Taiwan, Chile, and Israel have made aquaculture a national priority with substantial investments in research, development, and technology transfer programs. Foreign cultivated seafood, including salmon and shrimp, is capturing an increasingly large share of the global seafood market. The U.S. aquaculture industry is finding it increasingly difficult to compete in the global marketplace. The lost opportunities resulting are starkly indicated by the fact that we now import over $1 billion of cultivated seafood -- a figure that, without major U.S. policy changes, is likely to grow.

To be globally competitive, U.S. aquaculture must rely on cutting-edge science and technology. The United States has the best research institutions and facilities in the world. A coordinated national investment in aquaculture research and technology linked to industry outreach education would be a strong stimulus to the developing industry. It is also important that the U.S. research and technology base benefit from research and technologies generated and adopted in foreign countries. While international scientific exchange programs for aquaculture do exist (see II,C), expanded involvement of U.S. scientists, extension specialists, and industry representatives in international aquaculture programs can enhance the development of the U.S. aquaculture industry. At the same time, international partnerships in research and development can help ensure that a global aquaculture industry develops in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.