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Aquaculture is a $1-billion industry and is the
fastest-growing agricultural activity in the US.
06/05/2003 Providence, With limited open space but
plenty of water, Rhode Island is looking to tap into a
new kind of agriculture: fish farming.
Aquaculture is a $1-billion industry and is the
fastest-growing agricultural activity in the country.
Fish farming generates nearly $200 million annually in
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine. New Hampshire
has about 30 fish farms.
In
Rhode Island, the industry is limited to shellfish,
and farmers made just $478,000 last year, according to
David Alves, aquaculture coordinator for the Coastal
Resources Management Council.
Last
year, the state received a $1.4 million federal grant,
lobbied for by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to
jumpstart the industry.
"There`s
no reason why we can`t get in on this," Kenneth Ayars,
the state Department of Environmental Management`s
chief of agriculture, told The Providence Sunday
Journal.
"There`s
some money in the state ... and the time to develop it
is now."
Ayars believes aquaculture can help farms remain
economically viable and at the same time preserve a
valuable commodity in the densely packed state: open
space.
The
state is seeking to generate interest. Last Monday,
DEM sponsored a workshop in Scituate on fish farming.
Sixty people from across the state showed up.
"We
were surprised by the turnout," Ayars said. "But it
shows the interest is there."
Experts told those in attendance that Rhode Island is
well suited for fish farming. The Ocean State has
plenty of clean fresh water, the experts said, and it
also is in the middle of one of the largest food fish
markets in the world.
Also, Rhode Island last year ranked first nationwide
in the percentage of farm produce that was sold
directly to consumers, Ayars said. That means Rhode
Island farmers excel in the kind of small business
operations - such as roadside stands - that could be
used to market and sell farmed fish.
Successful farmers will have learned a new trade.
"Fish aren`t something you just plant in the ground
and come back for in three months," said Randy Mickley,
the University of Rhode Island`s new finfish
aquaculture extension agent.
Source:
Cmonitor.com |
