Il. AQUACULTURE 
Aquaculture today often is discussed as one 
part of a long-range solution to feeding the billions 
of people expected to inhabit the earth. Some 
authorities claim that (except in a few cases) 
aquaculture is not a viable solution to this prob- 
lem. In this section acquaculture will be discussed 
as a potential supplemental source of food. Some 
of the technology needed to enhance aquaculture 
will also be described. 
Aquaculture may be defined as a systematic 
and scientific farming program in restricted water 
areas including inland waters, coastal waters and 
open sea.° This definition of aquaculture is not 
intended to include advanced techniques for im- 
proved conventional fishing. 
A. Present Status and Trends 
1. General Activity 
Aquaculture, often discussed as impractical or 
too visionary in the United States, is no longer a 
dream. Examination of the status and success of 
aquaculture in other parts of the world reveals the 
practical applications of this source of food more 
clearly. A report by the Institute of Fisheries, 
University of British Columbia, states that Main- 
land China in 1960 produced 2,000,000 tons of 
fish by fresh water culture of a total 4,000,000 
tons for the entire nation’s inland fish catch, thus 
50 per cent of inland fish production in Red China 
was by aquaculture. In the same period, the 
United States produced a total of 1,249,000 tons 
of fish for human consumption.°® 
In 1966, pond culture in Israel yielded 9,454 
tons of a total 24,503 tons of fish produced by all 
methods. Pond culture realized approximately 40 
per cent of total production in this small country. 
Japan, long an aquacultural leader through the 
necessity of feeding her population, continues to 
be a leader. Today 13 per cent of the total value of 
Japan’s marine products is derived from aquacul- 
ture. 
*President’s Science Advisory Committee, Effective 
Use of the Sea, Report of the Panel on Oceanography 
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1966), p. 10. 
National Council on Marine Resources and Engineer- 
ing Development, Marine Science Affairs—A Year of Plans 
and Progress (Washington: Government Printing Office, 
1968), p. 224. 
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In the United States, there is a relatively small 
but intensive effort to advance the field of 
aquaculture, specifically for the most desirable 
species for the luxury market. Examples are 
shrimp, oysters, abalone, lobster, salmon, trout, 
pompano, clams, and scallops. Efforts to produce 
the more common fish are minimal, primarily 
because of consumer disinterest. In Hawaii, exten- 
sive studies are being conducted in breeding 
mullet, a highly prized fish food in the islands. 
As a matter of interest, the U.S. shrimp 
industry grossed $96 million in 1966 and was our 
most valuable fishery. Oysters in the same year 
ranked fifth with a catch worth $26 million. Thus, 
the American palate seems to be better pleased by 
gourmet seafoods. 
The pages following discuss examples of aqua- 
culture being undertaken with certain gourmet 
species. This is not intended to encompass all areas 
of aquaculture interest but illustrates a few to 
show the promise in this field. 
2. Shellfish 
Shellfish farming, primarily oysters, clams, and 
scallops, has been practiced for many years in 
bays, estuaries, ocean shelves, and other shallow 
salty waters. A more intensive method of shellfish 
farming utilizing special methods of seeding, grow- 
ing, and harvesting in ponds or sheltered enclosed 
areas is practiced also. 
Shellfish cultivation equipment is quite differ- 
ent, depending on whether in large shallow ocean 
areas or small ponds and enclosed areas. In the 
ocean areas fish cultivation requires boats, dredges, 
nets, etc., and is to some degree a mechanized 
operation. In small ponds and enclosed areas 
cultivation is done where seeding, growth, and 
harvest can be regulated carefully. It is widely 
practiced in low labor-cost areas, as it currently 
requires considerable manual labor. Because this 
intensive cultivation achieves greatly increased 
productivity per unit area (or volume), and be- 
cause it is now largely a hand operation, it is a 
fruitful field for new equipment development. 
Further, specialized heavy equipment is needed to 
prepare new growing areas. 
3. Salmon 
Another example of U.S. aquaculture is the 
salmon hatchery program on the Columbia River. 
