November 2002

Aquaculture is the fastest growing of all animal feed markets, especially in Southeast Asia, where the American Soybean Association is launching a new program called AquaSoy. The program is beginning a marketing and education push to get the aquaculture industry in China, Vietnam an India to begin to incorporate soybean meal into fish feeding rations.

In the United States, only two percent of the soybean meal supply is used for aquaculture, but the market is beginning to grow. Fish farming is still in its infancy in Illinois but aquaculture specialists predict the industry and its demand for Illinois soybean meal will continue to grow.

"Aquaclture in Illinois is just gaining steam," says Chris Breden, Illinois Fish Farmers Co-op (IFFC) technical service manager, Pinckneyville. "We are educating the public and traditional row crop and livestock farmers about ways aquaclture can help diversify farming and improve their operations financially."

Breden says Illinois fish farmers can expect a net return per acre between $750 and $3,500, depending on fish species chosen, market conditions, capital requirements and level of management expertise. For example, counties in southern Illinois below Interstate 64 have a comparable climate to the Mississippi Delta, he explains, which lends itself to channel catfish production. Catfish are the most popular species for fish farms and most highly consumed. The same area is also ideal for hybrid striped bass.

"Hybrid striped bass have great potential in Illinois. We have ideal growing conditions, good farmers and rank second among all inland states in seafood consumption," says Breden. "For the same reason, farming of freshwater shrimp (prawns) is also gaining importance in the state."
Growth in aquaculture is good news for Illinois soybean farmers, too. Breden says commercial fish and shrimp diets are composed of about 50 percent soybean meal. He estimates that is Southern Illinois, aquaculture production uses approximately 1,875 tons of soybean meal, or slightly more than 78,000 bushels.

"As the aquaculture industry grows, there will be an increasing need for commercial feeds high in soybean meal.

Many of these feeds already are manufactured in other states using Illinois produced meal," he says.

Breden says industry watchers forecast that half the seafood consumed worldwide will someday be produced through aquaculture. Increasing demand for seafood and the fact that the oceans are already being harvested at maximum sustainable yield will boost fish farm production.
"We look forward to the day when there will be enough demand for aquaculture feed that Illinois-produced soybean meal and other agriculture products will arrive at an Illinois-based feed mill to be used in the manufacturing of catfish, bass and shrimp diets," he says.

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