Aquaculture continues to grow in importance as a source for fish and shellfish. At the same time, the market for those products is changing, mostly because of higher production costs exacerbated by the destruction caused by this summer's hurricanes inthe Gulf of Mexico. Those are the major conclusions from the just-released semi-annual Aquaculture Outlook report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. What is clear from the USDA analysis is that change is coming to aquaculture and it will reverberate through domestic and foreign production. Aquaculture has a better chance than commercial fishing to meet the demand for seafood, says USDA. The fishing industry is saddled with a limited resource and resulting higher product prices. Aquaculture, on the other hand, faces problems of over-production and resulting lower prices. If aquaculture can become more efficient, it could supply demand while earning profits. The destruction to fishing and processing infrastructure from this summer's hurricanes will only speed this reliance on aquaculture, says USDA. The hurricanes have taken out of production one of the major seafood regions in the U.S. Buyers will have to rely even more on imported shrimp, oysters, and other species, a good proportion of which are farm-raised.
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