0237-Census of Aquaculture - 2023 - Instruction Sheet

Approval Expires mm/dd/yyyy

Form Number: 23-A622 (I)

OMB No. 0535-0237

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INSTRUCTION SHEET

2023 CENSUS OF AQUACULTURE

Completing the 2023 Census of Aquaculture Census form

Make all entries clear and easy to read. Use a blue or black ball point pen.

General

Refer to the instructions below for completing your 2023 Census of Aquaculture form. The enclosed census form was mailed to aquaculture producers throughout the United States. Because it is meant for use in all parts of the country, it may contain items and inquiries which do not apply to your operation. In this case, mark the “No” or “None” box and continue to the next item or section. If you did not produce aquaculture products of any kind in 2023, please see the instructions in Section 1 on this page.

Partial Year Operation

If you stopped producing aquaculture products at any time during 2023, complete the census form for the portion of 2023 that you did produce. Write “Stopped producing in 2023” and the date you stopped producing below the address area. Mail the completed census form in the return envelope.

If You Receive More Than One Census Form for the Same Operation

Return any duplicate census forms in the same envelope with your completed census form(s). In the address area of the census form(s) you complete, write the 11-digit ID number from the label of the extra census form(s).

Partnership Operations

Complete only ONE census form for a partnership operation and include all partners' shares on the same census form. If two or more census forms are received for the partnership, see instructions above for “If You Receive More Than One Census Form for the Same Operation”.

How to Enter Your Responses on the Census Form

Please enter your answers in the proper spaces and in the units requested, i.e., tenth of acres, gallons per minute, dollars, etc. Mark all applicable Yes/No boxes with an “X”.

Instructions by Section

Section 1 – Aquaculture Production Screening This section determines whether or not your operation is within the scope of this census.

Item 1 – Report whether you produced and/or raised any aquaculture or aquaculture products of any kind in 2023. Aquaculture products include fish of any kind, (i.e., catfish, trout, food or sport fish, perch, baitfish, minnows, etc.), crawfish, shellfish, mollusks, crustaceans, clams, oysters, soft-shell crabs, egg production, ornamentals, koi, seahorses, turtles, algae, alligators, frogs, live rock, and any other aquaculture products. If you did not produce any aquaculture products of any kind in 2023, please mark “No” and continue to Section 13 on the back page of the form and complete the remainder of the census form.

Section 2 – Sources of Water

This section determines sources of water that this operation used for its aquaculture production in 2023.

Check the appropriate non-saltwater option to report freshwater converted to saltwater by adding chemicals.

Section 3 – Methods of Production

Items 1 and 2 – Report the freshwater and saltwater acres or surface area owned, rented, or used for aquaculture production in 2023 by the respondent, spouse, partnership, corporation, or organization identified on the questionnaire. All responses in this section should be rounded to tenths of acres OR reported in square feet of surface area.

Items 1a and 2a – Report the freshwater and saltwater acres or surface area used for aquaculture production in 2023 that was rented or leased FROM others on shares, cash rent, used rent-free, in exchange for services, for taxes, etc., regardless of location, even if used for part of the year. Include leased from the State. All responses should be rounded to tenths of acres OR reported in square feet of surface area.

Freshwater is water with less than 0.5 parts per thousand dissolved salts. May be found in lakes, rivers, bodies of groundwater, or obtained from wells, or surface runoff.

Saltwater is water from a sea or ocean, including brackish water. In addition, it is freshwater converted to saltwater by adding chemicals.

Item 3a (i) – Ponds. A body of standing water, either natural or artificial, that is usually smaller than a lake.

Item 3b – Cropland used for crawfish. Include both permanent and rotational.

Item 3c – Flow through raceways. A confined area, usually long and narrow, in which water enters one end and exits the other. Raceways can either be a natural flow system, using the natural flow of a river or stream, or a closed system where the water from the raceway flows through a series of ponds and then is pumped into a header pond that flows back into the raceway. The water area for a closed system would be the surface acres of the raceway and of all associated ponds. The area for a natural flow system would be the surface acres that the raceway occupies.

Cubic feet to gallons conversion. U.S. gallon = cubic feet x 7.5.

Item 3d (i) – Recirculating systems. Metal, plastic, or fiberglass tanks normally above ground and usually under cover used for the rearing of aquatic organisms where 90 percent or more of the system water is recycled. Some tanks may consist of frames with liners.

Item 3e (i) – Non-recirculating systems. Metal, plastic, or fiberglass tanks normally above ground and usually under cover used for the rearing of aquatic organisms where 89 percent or less of the system water is recycled. Some tanks may consist of frames with liners.

Item 3f (i) – Aquaponics. A system that combines aquaculture with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment.

Item 3g (i) – Report the number of cages and pens used to produce Aquaculture products. Exclude traps (used to capture aquatic creatures).

Cages. The sides of the cages are rigid and are made of materials like plastic or plastic-covered wire.

Pens are large enclosures usually placed in rivers or ocean bays. Pens are usually floated in the water but may also be secured to the bottom. Pens are supported in some way, with the sides being flexible.

Item 3h – Mollusks on bottom. Growing on the bottom.

Item 3i – Mollusks off bottom. Growing without touching the bottom.

Item 3j – Other method. Other methods not listed.

Section 4 – Catfish

Item 5 – Hybrid catfish is a combination of a female channel catfish and a male blue catfish.

Section 5 – Trout

Item 4a - Disease includes losses from both parasitic and bacterial caused sickness.

Item 4b - Theft or vandalism includes the unauthorized removal of fish and/or the destruction of property causing a loss of fish by intentional acts of persons known or unknown.

Item 4c - Chemical contamination includes losses from pesticide or herbicide poisoning.

Item 4d - Drought includes losses from lack of water causing oxygen depletion.

Item 4e - Flood includes losses from too much water washing the fish away.

Item 4f - Predators include losses from mink, otters, birds, and other animals.

Item 4g - Other include losses from any source not fitting the pre-listed causes. Please note the cause in comments.

Section 6 – Food and/or Sport Fish

Item 1 – This question determines whether you produced and sold Food and/or Sport Fish.

Item 2 – Report the number sold, total pounds and total sales for each type and size of food and/or sport fish produced.

Column 1 – Record the type of food or sport fish produced and sold.

Column 2 – Record the size category code being reported. Foodsize includes grown aquaculture products ready for market. Stockers are large enough to be placed in the final grow-out pond, net, pen, or tank. Fingerlings are young fish, larger than a fry but not an adult. Fry are very young, post-larval fish. Broodstock are fish kept for egg production, including males. Eggs are embryos surrounded by nutrient material and a protective covering.

Column 3 – Report the total number of fish or eggs sold.

Column 4 – Report total pounds of fish sold. Complete for all size categories except eggs.

Column 5 – Total revenue received from the sale of the food and sport fish produced.

Section 7 - Baitfish

Item 1 – This section determines whether you produced and sold Baitfish. Crawfish for food is reported in section 8.

Baitfish are fish used for bait, such as crawfish, fathead minnows, golden shiners, emerald or silver shiners, feeder and bait goldfish, suckers, chubs, leeches, and other types of minnows.

Table 3a – For Baitfish sold by the pound or number of fish, report the Total pounds live weight sold, and Total Sales. Total sales should reflect the price received at the farm gate, excluding packaging and distribution costs.

Report either the total number of fish sold or number of fish per pound.

Table 3b - For Baitfish sold by the gallon, report the total number of gallons sold, Pounds per gallon, number of fish per gallon and total sales.

Section 8 – Crustaceans and Mollusks (Includes clams, crawfish, oysters, shrimp, soft-shell crabs, etc.)

Item 1 – This section determines whether you produced Crustaceans and/or Mollusks, including crawfish for food. Crawfish for bait is reported in section 7.

Crustaceans are invertebrate animals with a

hard shelled segmented body, and jointed legs. Examples include crawfish, lobsters, prawns, shrimp, and soft-shell crabs.

Mollusks are marine invertebrates (no backbone). In general, mollusks have three body regions: a head, a visceral mass, and a “foot.” Mollusks usually have a shell, although some do not. This category includes abalone, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, and scallop seed.

Section 9 - Ornamental Fish

Item 1 – This section determines whether you produced and sold Ornamental Fish.

Ornamental fish are raised for water gardens, aquariums, etc. Examples include koi, ornamental goldfish, tropical fish, and ornamental catfish.

Item 2 – Report each species and type of unit sold on separate lines. Types of units sold include number of fish, pounds, boxes, bags, etc. Report the number of units produced and sold in column 2.

Column 5 -- Report total sales in dollars. Total sales should reflect the price received at the farm gate, excluding packaging and distribution costs

Section 10 – Miscellaneous Aquaculture

Item 1 – This section determines whether you produced and sold Miscellaneous Aquaculture. This includes algae, alligators, caviar, eels, frogs, sea urchins, snails, tadpoles, and turtles. Do not include wild caught or harvested items.

Item 2 – Report total number and weight sold of all sizes within each species. Total sales should reflect the price received at the farm gate, excluding packaging and distribution costs.

Section 11 – Sales Outlet by Species (Exclude catfish and trout)

Item 1 – Report where the operation sold its production directly. The percentage for each category of product must equal 100 percent. Catfish and trout are reported in sections 4 and 5.

Processors are companies that convert live fish to a product ready to cook and distribute, such as fish fillets. This includes processing done on or off the operation.

Live haulers and/or brokers are individuals, wholesalers, distributers, or companies that purchase aquaculture products from a producer for immediate resale. They may or may not take possession of the product. Live haulers transport aquaculture products in oxygenated tank trucks to other outlets, including processing plants, pay lakes, recreational lakes, and retail outlets.

Retail outlets are individuals, grocers, restaurants, or companies who buy aquaculture products to re‑sell to consumers.

Direct to consumers are sales made directly to individuals for home consumption or placement in their ponds for personal use. This includes places that raise and market fish through their own fee fishing operation.

Recreational stocking includes aquaculture sold to individuals or private enterprises for the sole purpose of stocking recreational waters.

• Aquaculture sold to Federal State or local government agencies for stocking public waters should be reported as sold to “Government Agencies.”

• Aquaculture that are sold for the purpose of stocking another producer’s commercial ponds should be reported as sold “Wholesale to Other Producers.”

• Fish sold by fee-fishing or U-fish operations should be listed as being sold “Direct to Consumers.”

Wholesale to other producers includes aquaculture sold to other farmers who raise for future sale.

Government agencies includes sales to Federal, State, or local government hatcheries or other groups involved in purchasing aquaculture to stock Federal, publicly owned, or regulated waters and recreational areas.

Exports includes aquaculture moved outside the United States borders.

Other includes outlets not meeting the above definitions. Export sales should be listed here if not going directly out of the United States. If in doubt as to where to put sales, list them here with notes explaining the situation.

Section 12 - Aquaculture Produced and Distributed (not sold) for Restoration, Enhancement, Conservation, or Recreational Purposes

Complete this section if the operation distributed any aquaculture products for restoration, enhancement, conservation, or recreational purposes in 2023. If the operation did not distribute any aquaculture products, skip to Section 13.

Fish and eggs distributed without charge should be entered here. Fish and eggs sold should be excluded from this table and reported as sales in the appropriate section.

Section 13 – Operation

Item 3 – If this operation has additional names, or connections to additional operations, record the name and phone number here.

Item 4 – This question determines if the operator made day to day decisions for multiple operations. If you are involved with any other aquaculture operation, list them here.

Item 5 – If this operation was sold or turned over to someone else, record the new operators name and phone number here.

Section 14 – Conclusion

Print your name, phone number, e-mail address, and the date you completed the questionnaire.

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