115 



tion of disputes arising under fisheries 

 conventions when that seems preferable to 

 settlement by the International Court of 

 Justice. 



Adoption of this recommendation will en- 

 able tiie nations participating in fisheries 

 conventions to choose that form of settlement 

 machinery wliich fits the particular case. 



Aquaculture 



Aquaculture, the cultivation or propaga- 

 tion of water-dwelling organisms, is nearly as 

 old as civilization and is practiced extensively 

 in many parts of the world. The greatest di- 

 versity and quantity of production are found 

 in Asia. 



The application of the techniques of agri- 

 culture and animal husbandry to the rearing 

 of some types of aquatic animals and plants 

 under controlled conditions has produced 

 enormous per acre yields of protein (Table 

 4—1). Unlike the fisheries where the harvest- 

 able stock is finite, cultured species for all 

 practical purposes are limited only by the 

 acreage that can be farmed and by cost of 

 production in the competitive market. For 

 this reason, some observers conclude that 

 aquatic culture of certain especially efficient 

 and productive species can make a substantial 

 contribution to the war on hunger. 



The three-dimensional character of the 

 marine environment permits several noncom- 

 peting stocks to be farmed at once. For exam- 

 ple, mollusks, Crustacea, and finfish can be 

 cultured in the same area. One combination 

 might be rafted oysters, bay scallops, lob- 

 ster's, flatfish, and marine algae. Even with- 

 out such combinations, the potential returns 

 are large. If 1,000 square miles of tidelands 

 between California and Alaska were diked 

 for sea farms and were cultivated to produce 

 3,000 pounds of fish per acre per year, the 



harvest would be equivalent to 50 per cent of 

 the total U.S. fisli catch of 1967. 



However, realizing the potential of aqua- 

 culture will require overcoming certain legal 

 and institutional constraints as well as ad- 

 vancing scientific knowledge and developing 

 technology to pennit production at comfjeti- 

 tive costs. 



Present Status of US. Aquaculture 



Activity in the United States today is at a 

 low level compared with aquaculture in other 

 parts of the world, but it is showing signs of 

 rapid growth. A variety of organisms is un- 

 der some kind of cultivation. 



It is estimated that aquacultural products 

 in 1967 reached a wholesale level of $50 mil- 

 lion, but the level is uncertain because of wide 

 variations in the definition of aquaculture. 

 Much of domestic aquaculture is in fresh 

 water; both trout and catfish farming have 

 been very successful. Cultivation of bait fish 

 is a several million dollar business. Among 

 the marine organisms, oyster cultivation has 

 the largest dollar volume. 



Research is in progress with a number of 

 high-value species including pompano, sal- 



Present domestic aquaculture has 

 been developed largely in fresh 

 rrater. Both trout and catfish 

 farming have been very successful — 

 an aerial vieic of an Arkansas catfish 

 farm. 



