supported in some way, with the sides being flexible. 
Point of first sale. The first point at whieh money is 
exehanged for aquaeulture produets. For example, 
delivery of aquaeulture produets from the farm to the 
proeessing plant is eonsidered to be the point of first 
sale. 
Ponds. The most eommon type of water faeility for 
raising fish. Most ponds are man-made and fish 
usually have aeeess to the entire pond. 
Processors. Companies that eonvert live fish to a 
produet ready to eook sueh as fish fillets. Usually, 
the purehasing plant has no ties to the produeer. 
However, in some eases, the plant may be a 
eooperative that is jointly owned by the produeer and 
other produeers. Also ineluded in this eategory are 
the sales of aquaeulture produets by vertieally 
integrated operations through their own proeessing 
and marketing operations. 
Recirculating systems. Metal, plastie, or fiberglass 
tanks normally above ground and usually under 
eover used for the rearing of aquatie organisms 
where 90 pereent or more of system water is 
reeyeled. Some tanks may eonsist of frames with 
liners. 
Recreational stocking. When the point of first sale 
is reereational stoeking, the purehaser will use the 
aquaeulture produetion to stoek private lakes or 
ponds. 
Saltwater. Water from a sea or oeean, ineluding 
braekish water. Freshwater eonverted to saltwater by 
adding ehemieals was tabulated as saltwater aeres 
used in produetion. The souree of water was 
tabulated as freshwater. 
Sea vegetables. A type of algae seaweed that grows 
naturally in the oeean. 
Seed. Young animals, generally oysters, elams, or 
mussels, used for stoeking. 
Shellfish. An aquatie invertebrate animal with a 
shell, partieularly an edible mollusk or erustaeean. 
Sport fish. Fish raised primarily to be released into 
lakes and streams to be eaught by sport fishermen. 
Fish may also be sold to fee fishing operations. 
Examples inelude largemouth and smallmouth bass, 
erappie, muskie, northern pike, sunfish, and walleye. 
Stockers. Fingerlings that are large enough to be 
plaeed in the final grow-out pond, net, pen, or tank. 
Sunfish. This eategory ineludes bluegill, 
eoppernose, bream, redear/shelleraekers, ete. 
Surface water acres. A measure of the number of 
square aeres needed to eover the surfaee of a pond, 
tank, raeeway, ete. 
Value of sales. The gross value of sales before 
marketing and produetion eosts are dedueted. 
Wholesale to other producers. Included in this 
category are sales made to other farmers who buy 
live fish to raise for a later sale. 
B-4 APPENDIX B 
2012 Census of Agriculture 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
