Aquaculture - Florida Release

October 2006

AQUACULTURE
Florida Field Office

In Cooperation with the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
www.nass.usda.gov/fl
1222 Woodward St.
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 648-6013

FLORIDA AQUACULTURE SALES TOTAL $75 MILLION IN 2005
Florida aquaculture producers reported sales in 2005
of $75 million based upon a survey conducted for the
Division of Aquaculture, Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services. This biennial survey was done by the
Florida Agricultural Statistics Service in conjunction with the
2005 National Census of Aquaculture. The Census of
Aquaculture is conducted every five years.
Sales in 2005 were below those of $95.5 million in
2003, due in large part to severe losses following the
hurricanes of 2004 and 2005. There were 359 operations with
appreciable sales, and 351 operations which had minimal or
no sales. Many aquaculture producers were forced out of
business or had no sales in 2005. The operations without sales
reflect either new operations which have not yet sold a
product or operations in business but which did not sell any
product in 2005.
AQUACULTURE - Value of Sales - Florida, 2005
Net Sales

133

$33,232,000

19

17,560,000

153

10,694,000

14

4,070,000

19

1,731,000

Catfish

23

1,434,000

Tilapia

18

477,000

6

341,000

8

191,000

%

5,245,000

Ornamental Fish
Aquatic Plants
Clams

1/

& Oysters

Alligators
Other Food Fish

2/

Live Rock
All Sportfish
All Other Aquaculture
1/

3/

Includes clam seed
Hybrid Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Carp, and Sturgeon.
3/
Includes baitfish, crustaceans, and other aquatics.
2/

AQUACULTURE - Size of Operation
FLORIDA, 2005
Acres in
Operation

Water
acres

Number of
Operations

Percent of
Total

Less than 3
3 to 5.9
6 to 19.9
20 to 49.9

287
270
805
714

185
61
79
25

51.5
17.0
22.0
7.0

50 or more

934

9

2.5

3,010

359

100.0

Total

Operations
With Sales

Item

WATER AREA
There were 3,010 acres of water used by the 359
operations in 2005. Of the 359 operations in 2005, 51.5
percent were less than 3 acres in size. Another 17 percent of
the operations each used between 3 and 6 acres water area.
Only 2.5 percent of the operation used more than 50 acres of
water area.

LABOR
In 2005, 1,055 people worked on the 359 aquaculture
operations. Labor provided by the operators was an average
31 hours per week per operation. There were 195 operations
which reported a payroll, for a total payroll of $12,410,000.
There were 158 operations with unpaid workers. They are
typically family members or partners.
AQUACULTURE - LABOR - FLORIDA, 2005
Item
Unpaid Workers
Paid workers:
150 Days or more
Less than 150 days
Total

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Farms

Number of
Workers

158

262

95
143

478
315
1,055

FLORIDA AQUACULTURE SALES, 1987 - 2005
Year

Ornamental
Fish

Total

Aquatic
Plants

Clams,
Oysters

(000)
$17,560
$10,694

Alligators

1/

2005

$ 74,900

$33,232

2003

95,500

47,229

20,433

12,970

2,450

12,418

2001

99,500

42,424

21,302

18,264

3,250

14,260

1999

86,000

43,184

13,650

16,249

3,352

9,565

1997

102,000

57,200

13,200

13,078

3,189

15,333

1995

79,000

52,500

8,600

6,434

4,500

6,932

1993

73,000

46,700

13,200

4,636

4,432

4,032

1991

54,000

32,799

9,869

2,556

4,393

4,383

1989

51,000

33,671

7,033

2,098

4,536

3,662

1987

35,000

21,653

5,715

1,100

672

4,860

1/

$4,070

Other
Aquaculture
$9,344

Includes food fish, crustaceans, sport fish, baitfish, live rock and miscellaneous aquaculture.

Florida Aquaculture Sales
1987 - 2005
110
100

Million dollars

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
1987

Aquaculture

1989

1991

1993

1995

2

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

USDA, NASS, Florida Field Office

ORNAMENTAL AND TROPICAL FISH

AQUATIC PLANTS

There were 133 operations that raised ornamental fish
in 2005, down from 151 operations in 2003. Sales of
ornamental fish were $33.2 million, down from $47.2 million
in 2003. This includes 118 farms that raised tropical fish with
sales of $32.3 million.

Aquatic plants sales in 2005 were $17.6 million.
These include plants for water gardens, food markets
(watercress), aquariums, and wetlands restoration. There were
20 operations which reported sales of aquatic plants. Sales to
foreign markets were reported by four operations.

CLAMS AND CLAM SEED

LIVE ROCK

Sales of clams, clam seed, and oysters were $10.7
million in 2005 down from $13.0 million in 2003. There were
153 operations raising clams and 142 with sales of $9.8
million, with an average price per clam sold of 10.8 cents.
There were 20 operations raising clam seed. Clam sales were
negatively impacted by the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 in
Florida’s coastal zone where clams are cultured.
There were 55 clam operators out of business in 2005
which were in business in 2003. Many respondents
commented about losing clams planted in 2004. Respondents
also commented they were having trouble getting seed to
plant in 2006.

Live rock sales in 2005 of $341,000 were reported on
six operations, down from 2003 sales of $660,000. Live rock
producers lease acreage in coastal waters off the west coast of
Florida and in the Keys. Live rock production was negatively
impacted by the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes.

CLAM FARM SALES AND
CLAM SEED PLANTED - FLORIDA 2005

SPORT FISH, SALES AND NUMBER
SOLD - FLORIDA, 2005

Year

Farms

2003
2005

237
153

SPORT FISH
There were a total of eight operations that raised
sport fish and/or largemouth bass in 2005, with Sales of
largemouth bass totaled $92,000 and sales of sunfish were
$99,000.

Farms
Clams Sold Sales
With Sales (Millions) (Millions)
192
142

134.0
92.1

Specie
Largemouth Bass
Sunfish

$13.0
9.8

Farms

Sales

Number Price/
Sold Pound

5
8

$92,000
99,000

74,000 $1.28
85,000 1.16

Seed Planted
2002
2003
2004
2005 (estimated)
2006 (expected plantings)

FOOD FISH

289,791,000
350,398,000
392,100,000
350,000,000
500,000,000

Food fish were raised on 49 operations in 2005. Sales
were $3.6 million in 2005 . There were 23 farms that sold
food size catfish, 18 sold tilapia, and five with sales of bass or
other food fish. Other food fish (bass, sturgeon, and other
food fish) sales were $1,730,000.

Data on the planting or clam seed or survival of
clams seeded was supplemented by additional data collected
for the biennial Aquaculture Survey from a sample of
operations which reported clams on the 2005 National Census
of Aquaculture.
Survival rate to harvest was reported to average 43.1
percent in 2005. The cost per clam seed was 0.48 cent.

FOOD FISH, SALES AND NUMBER
SOLD - FLORIDA, 2005
Specie
Catfish
Tilapia
Bass
Other

Aquaculture

3

Farms
23
18
5
--

Sales
$1,434,000
477,000
1,369,000
361,000

Number
Sold

Price/
Pound

1,462,000
426,000
212,000
--

$0.64
1.12
2.49
--

USDA, NASS, Florida Field Office

ALLIGATORS

MISCELLANEOUS AQUACULTURE

Sales of alligator hides, meat and whole alligators
reached $4.07 million in 2005. There were 14 farms raising
alligators in 2005, of which 12 reported sales of alligators or
alligator products.

The sales of other aquaculture production included
crustaceans (crabs, crawfish, fresh water prawns, and
shrimp), baitfish and other aquatics (snails, tadpoles, turtles,
and frogs). Total sales of crustaceans, baitfish and other
aquatics were $5.25 million. There were seven operations that
raised crustaceans and two baitfish operations. There were
three operations that raised frogs, with total sales of
$222,000, five operations raised turtles with $125,000 in
sales, and nine operations raised snails with sales of
$151,000.

ALLIGATOR INVENTORY, BY TYPE FLORIDA
Item

2006

Number of
producers

2004

14

13

56,300

69,000

1,800

3,800

Hatchlings

20,600

23,700

All other

33,900

41,600

Total alligators on
hand
Brood Stock

2005 CENSUS OF AQUACULTURE
The 2005 United States Census of Aquaculture is
now available. This report is available on-line at:
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2002/Aquacultur
e/index.asp

ALLIGATOR SALES - FLORIDA,
2005 and 2003
Item
Hides
Meat

Aquaculture

2005

2003

$2,828,000

$1,640,000

817,000

812,000

4

USDA, NASS, Florida Field Office