This year, Arkansas fish farmers devoted 20,000 acres to catfish production, re- 

 ceived over $45 million in farm gate sales, and employed approximately 1,500 peo- 

 ple. Our three major processing plants are each capable of processing over 100,000 

 pounds of fish per day. These plants employ approximately 600 people and produce 

 revenue of $134 million. This is not counting the dozen or so "mom and pop" proc- 

 essors who are each capable of processing about 5,000 pounds a day, or the feed 

 mills with over 100 employees and over $20 million in annual sales. 



As for baitfish, Arkansas is the Nation's largest producer of golden shiners, gold- 

 fish, and fiathead minnows. This $45 million portion of the industry in Arkansas 

 represents an impressive 80 percent of the baitfish used by recreational fisherman 

 nationwide. These growers purchased feeds that contained over 45,000 pounds of 

 soybean meal and another 45,000 pounds of crop byproducts which helps a lot of 

 the other farmers in Arkansas. 



Nationally, it is estimated the aquaculture industry will continue to increase the 

 demand for U.S. agriculture crops such as cotton, rice, soybean, com, and wheat. 

 In 1992 alone, 78,900 acres of corn, 382,800 acres of soybeans, and cotton seed meal 

 from 311,000 acres of cotton were needed to supply the fish feed for the catfish in- 

 dustry. 



Clearly, aquaculture is becoming increasingly important to my State and others, 

 especially in the depressed Delta region of this Nation. S. 1288 helps to recognize 

 this importance and address many of the industry's problems. However, there are 

 a few areas in the current draft of the bill that give me particular concern. One area 

 in particular is the bill's disaster assistance section. I agree with its premise, but 

 not its approach. Acreage is not a good yardstick by which to measure aquaculture 

 losses. 



I have been in contact with Senator Akaka through our respective staffs, and it 

 is my understanding that he and other sponsors of the legislation are amenable to 

 some specific modifications that address this and other interests on behalf of the 

 catfish industry in particular. Once these are made, it is my full intention to be a 

 supporter and advocate of this legislation which is so essential to the continued evo- 

 lution of the aquaculture industry. 



Thanks again, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing and I look forward to work- 

 ing with the committee to get this legislation passed. 



Senator Daschle. Let me now invite our witnesses to come to 

 the table: Dr. Hank Parker, the chairman of the Joint Subcommit- 

 tee on Aquaculture at the Department of Agriculture; Mr. Robert 

 Robinson, the Associate Director of Food and Agricultural Issues of 

 the General Accounting Office; Mr. Joseph McCraren, of the Na- 

 tional Association of Aquaculture in West Virginia; Mr. Roy Mar- 

 tin, the Executive Director of the National Aquaculture Council in 

 Virginia; Mr. Hugh Warren, of the Catfish Farmers of America in 

 Indianola, Mississippi, and Mr. Jim Zimmerman, the Director of 

 Public Relations of the Washington Fish Growers Association from 

 Rochester, Washington. 



Dr. Parker. 



STATEMENT OF HENRY S. PARKER, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF 

 AQUACULTURE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASH- 

 INGTON, DC 



Dr. Parker. Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman and members 

 of the subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to present testi- 

 mony on behalf of the Department of Agriculture on S. 1288, the 

 National Aquaculture Development, Commercialization and Pro- 

 motion Act of 1993. 



Aquaculture will be a major global agricultural growth industry 

 in the 21st century. The United States has an important oppor- 

 tunity to develop an internationally competitive aquaculture indus- 

 try to serve national needs and the global marketplace. Presently, 

 the United States ranks only tenth in the world in the value of its 



