Aquaculture is the propagation and rearing of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected environments for any commercial, recreational or public purpose. The 2007 Census of Agriculture reported over 6,000 commercial aquaculture facilities exist in the U.S. and they are found in every state. In the United States, aquaculture produced up to 600 million pounds of production and sales value of $1.2 billion in 2009. Source

Aquaculture is a diverse industry, including a variety of species, environments, production methods, and purposes (food, sport, bait, aquarium, and ornamental). Five finfish species (catfish, salmon, striped bass, tilapia, and trout) accounted for about 50% of all U.S. aquaculture sales in 2009, with the largest share (30%) being the catfish industry. Other major species grown in the U.S. include crawfish (10%), oysters (8%) and clams (7%) in 2009. Ornamental fish production is also a multimillion dollar industry. This diverse industry relies on accredited veterinarians to monitor animal health which prevents disease introduction and spread. Source

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