CRMC 2007 Aquaculture report says industry adding new products

April 28, 2008, WAKEFIELD – Rhode Island’s aquaculture industry continued to grow in 2007, according to the Coastal Resources Management Council’s annual report, “Aquaculture in Rhode Island.” The industry grew in almost every area, and for the first time in eight years, the state has a commercial finfish farm.

In 2007, the farm gate value (the value for the product paid to the farmer) of the state’s aquaculture products increased 18 percent, the tenth double-digit increase in the past 12 years. In 2006 the total value of Rhode Island aquaculture exceeded $1 million for the first time, and 2007 continued that trend with a value of almost $1.6 million ($1,587,857). According to the report, the number of farms in Rhode Island also grew in 2007 from 28 to 30 farms, which increased the acreage under cultivation to 123 acres. The production per acre value of aquaculture in Rhode Island was $12,862, down slightly from last year’s value of $13,621, but still a large increase compared to 2005 and 2004, years in which the production per acre value held at $8,757 and $8,185, respectively.

In 2007, aquaculture-related industries in the state experienced gross revenue of $4.3 million, an increase from the $3.5 million reported in 2006, and regulatory agencies charged with overseeing and managing the industry continued to streamline the permitting process. The CRMC Working Group on Aquaculture Regulations reconvened in 2007 due to the lack of a long-term aquaculture development plan. The working group hopes to complete its work this summer, and hopes to submit a draft for suggested regulatory changes to the Council soon.

This year’s aquaculture report, like last year’s, includes updates and industry information contributed by the state’s leading aquaculture experts, including Dr. David Bengtson, chair of the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Rhode Island; Dr. Timothy Scott, director of the Roger Williams University Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED); Michael McGiveney, president of the Rhode Island Shellfisherman’s Association (RISA); Andrew Lipsky of the USDA NRCS; Dr. Barry Costa-Pierce, executive director of Rhode Island Sea Grant (RISG); Perry Raso, president of the Ocean State Aquaculture Association; and Ken Ayars, chief of the RI Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Agriculture. The report also includes a special section on bivalve disease by Dr. Marta Gomez-Chiarri and a special section on the history of lobster aquaculture in Rhode Island by Dr. Michael Rice, both of URI.

“The annual CRMC report shows that while the industry is still small in Rhode Island, aquaculture continues to experience significant growth and diversification,” said CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “We credit our regulations and policies, which we are constantly seeking to improve – through our development of a statewide aquaculture development plan – as well as our good working relationship with industry members, for this growth.”

The full report is available at the CRMC’s web site, http://www.crmc.ri.gov/aquaculture/aquareport07.pdf.

(Photo courtesy of Brad Bourque) Clown fish in the state’s first finfish farm in almost a decade.