The greatest percentage of sportfish farm respondents (56%) were located in the North Central Aqu... more The greatest percentage of sportfish farm respondents (56%) were located in the North Central Aquaculture Region, followed by the Western Aquaculture Region (24%), and the Northeastern Aquaculture Region (20%) (Table 3). There were no sportfish respondents from the Southern or Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Regions. Table 3. Participation by aquaculture region. Region Percentage of survey respondents North Central 56% Western 24% Northeastern 20% Southern 0% Tropical and Subtropical 0%
The greatest percentage of crustacean farm respondents (42%) were located in the Southern Aquacul... more The greatest percentage of crustacean farm respondents (42%) were located in the Southern Aquaculture Region, followed by the North Central Aquaculture Region (33%), the Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Region, and the Western Aquaculture /Region (8%) (Table 3). There were no crustacean respondents from the Northeastern Aquaculture Region. Table 3. Participation by USDA aquaculture region. Region Percentage of survey respondents Southern 42% North Central 33% Tropical and Subtropical 17% Western 8% Northeastern 0% Key Findings One hundred percent of crustacean respondents reported that their farm or business had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
seafood/research/Impacts_of_COVID19.html. This report is a supplemental report to the overall sur... more seafood/research/Impacts_of_COVID19.html. This report is a supplemental report to the overall survey that summarizes results of the USDA Southern Aquaculture Region respondents. The USDA Southern Aquaculture Region is comprised of the following states and territories:
Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color,... more Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origen, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, Oct 12, 2022
Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of spe... more Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of species farmed commercially, but there has been little production in the United States of marine finfish other than salmon and red drum. For most species considered to be ready for commercialization, there are few or no farms from which to evaluate the size of the market or to estimate revenues and costs necessary to assess economic feasibility. This present study takes a first step to fill this gap with an analysis of the existing supply of 20 marine finfish species identified as candidates for commercialization in the United States, as a proxy for effective demand (the volume of a product sold at the market equilibrium price). Secondary data from 1950 (where available) through 2019 were compiled on each species, including (1) global aquaculture production, (2) US aquaculture production, (3) US commercial landings, (4) US recreational landings, and (5) imports. Current effective market demand (measured as the sum of commercial landings, farmed production, and imports) was low, totaling 36.6 million kg across the 20 species, which is equivalent to less than 23% of the annual volume sold of US farmed catfish. Commercial landings for 17 of the 20 species exhibited declines, potentially offering opportunities for farmed product to capture market share by filling the increasing gaps in
The greatest percentage of tilapia farm respondents (57%) were located in the Southern Aquacultur... more The greatest percentage of tilapia farm respondents (57%) were located in the Southern Aquaculture Region, followed by the North Central Aquaculture Region (23%), the Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Region (11%), and the Western Aquaculture Region (9%) (Table 3). There were no tilapia respondents from the Northeast Aquaculture Region. Table 3. Participation by aquaculture region. Region Percentage of survey respondents Southern 57% North Central 23% Tropical and Subtropical 11% Western 9% Northeastern 0% Key Findings Eighty-one percent of tilapia respondents reported that their farm or business had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A few respondents who reported not having been affected by COVID-19 indicated that they were either in a construction phase without sales, that they grew aquaponic crops only for family consumption, or that they were a university, not a commercial program.
Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and greater scaup (A. marila), hereafter scaup, consume a variety o... more Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and greater scaup (A. marila), hereafter scaup, consume a variety of aquatic invertebrates, plants, and occasionally small fish. Scaup have foraged on commercial aquaculture farms in the southern United States for decades. However, the types, abundance, and rate of fish exploitation by scaup on baitfish and sportfish farms are not well documented. Thus, information is needed to understand how fish and other foods influence scaup use of aquatic resources, and any potential economic effects of depredation of fish. From November-March in winters 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, we conducted 1,458 pond surveys to estimate the abundance and distribution of scaup on Arkansas baitfish and sportfish farms that commercially produce species such as golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas), fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), goldfish (Carassius auratus), and sunfish (Lepomis spp.). We also collected and processed 531 foraging scaup and quantified the proportion of scaup consuming fish and the proportion of their diet obtained from fish. Fish consumption was highly variable between years. In our survey area, we estimated total fish consumption at 1,400 kg and 60,500 kg for winters 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, respectively. Sunfish ponds experienced the maximum loss (18,000 fish/ha) during winter 2017-2018, while goldfish ponds experienced a loss of just 2,600 fish/ha during the same winter. The estimates of baitfish and sportfish loss to scaup revealed potential management strategies for minimizing fish loss and can inform economic analysis of the financial impact of scaup on producers.
Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, Jun 1, 2015
The double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, is considered the primary depredating bird s... more The double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, is considered the primary depredating bird species on commercially produced channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, in the southeastern USA. We simulated different levels of cormorant predation on losses at harvest and economic effects on channel catfish production in a multiple-batch cropping system. We observed significant (P < 0.05) declines in catfish production at increasing levels of cormorant predation in this study. This decline was mitigated by increased individual growth of catfish at higher predation rates (i.e., lower catfish densities). This mitigating effect produced a non-linear relationship with total kg of catfish harvested per pond resulting in a non-linear incremental increase in breakeven price related to predation. Costs of production ($/kg) increased with increasing predation levels up to very high levels of predation with a cumulative maximum increase in breakeven price of $0.143/kg. These results indicate that losses at harvest due to cormorant predation occur immediately but are mitigated in part by compensatory growth of individual catfish. Losses due to cormorant predation in multi-batch systems can be considerable, but there is not a 1:1 relationship between losses and kg of catfish harvested due to compensatory factors.
Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of spe... more Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of species farmed commercially, but there has been little production in the United States of marine finfish other than salmon and red drum. For most species considered to be ready for commercialization, there are few or no farms from which to evaluate the size of the market or to estimate revenues and costs necessary to assess economic feasibility. This present study takes a first step to fill this gap with an analysis of the existing supply of 20 marine finfish species identified as candidates for commercialization in the United States, as a proxy for effective demand (the volume of a product sold at the market equilibrium price). Secondary data from 1950 (where available) through 2019 were compiled on each species, including (1) global aquaculture production, (2) US aquaculture production, (3) US commercial landings, (4) US recreational landings, and (5) imports. Current effective market dem...
Understanding farm-level efficiencies of resource use is critical in comparisons of the sustainab... more Understanding farm-level efficiencies of resource use is critical in comparisons of the sustainability of aquaculture production systems. We developed a set of practical resource-use efficiency metrics to calculate and compare resource-use efficiency with resource-cost efficiency across major species and production systems in US aquaculture. Results showed that no one production system used all resources most efficiently. Intensive pond production of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus demonstrated the greatest efficiency in the use of water, energy, labor, management, and capital resources, while RAS production was most efficient in terms of land and feed use. Among the wide array of pond scenarios examined, more intensive scenarios generally were more efficient in terms of several metrics, but economic sustainability also depends upon business models that effectively meet differing demand requirements of customers. Thus, less intensive production systems were economically sustainable in areas with relatively abundant land and water resources available at lower cost. Labor efficiencies varied widely across scenarios analyzed. Given increasing concerns related to the availability of labor for aquaculture farming in the USA, greater attention to the efficiency of labor on farms is warranted. The metrics used were aligned with common farm management tools (e.g. enterprise budgets) that allow for ease of use by farms and researchers to assess effects on comparative resource-use efficiencies of new farming practices and technologies under development.
Abstract Volatility in catfish pond bank and feed prices lead to profit uncertainty in the catfis... more Abstract Volatility in catfish pond bank and feed prices lead to profit uncertainty in the catfish industry. Analysis of the factors that affect those prices and development of a forecasting model would provide guidance to catfish farm managers. Error-correction models (ECM) based on cointegrating relationships among variables were specified following development of a single-equation ARIMAX model. Factors identified as those that influence catfish price were: lagged value of catfish, feed and substitute product prices, while those that influenced feed price were: lagged value of feed, corn and soybean prices. ECM estimates implied that fish price adjusts approximately 6% and feed price 22% to the long-run equilibrium in 1 month. The analysis showed that it takes less than 17 months and 5 months to correct for long-run disequilibrium for catfish and feed prices, respectively. The ARIMAX model demonstrated a better fit for both in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting for catfish price and had better out-of-sample predictive ability for feed prices.
The greatest percentage of sportfish farm respondents (56%) were located in the North Central Aqu... more The greatest percentage of sportfish farm respondents (56%) were located in the North Central Aquaculture Region, followed by the Western Aquaculture Region (24%), and the Northeastern Aquaculture Region (20%) (Table 3). There were no sportfish respondents from the Southern or Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Regions. Table 3. Participation by aquaculture region. Region Percentage of survey respondents North Central 56% Western 24% Northeastern 20% Southern 0% Tropical and Subtropical 0%
The greatest percentage of crustacean farm respondents (42%) were located in the Southern Aquacul... more The greatest percentage of crustacean farm respondents (42%) were located in the Southern Aquaculture Region, followed by the North Central Aquaculture Region (33%), the Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Region, and the Western Aquaculture /Region (8%) (Table 3). There were no crustacean respondents from the Northeastern Aquaculture Region. Table 3. Participation by USDA aquaculture region. Region Percentage of survey respondents Southern 42% North Central 33% Tropical and Subtropical 17% Western 8% Northeastern 0% Key Findings One hundred percent of crustacean respondents reported that their farm or business had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
seafood/research/Impacts_of_COVID19.html. This report is a supplemental report to the overall sur... more seafood/research/Impacts_of_COVID19.html. This report is a supplemental report to the overall survey that summarizes results of the USDA Southern Aquaculture Region respondents. The USDA Southern Aquaculture Region is comprised of the following states and territories:
Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color,... more Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origen, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, Oct 12, 2022
Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of spe... more Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of species farmed commercially, but there has been little production in the United States of marine finfish other than salmon and red drum. For most species considered to be ready for commercialization, there are few or no farms from which to evaluate the size of the market or to estimate revenues and costs necessary to assess economic feasibility. This present study takes a first step to fill this gap with an analysis of the existing supply of 20 marine finfish species identified as candidates for commercialization in the United States, as a proxy for effective demand (the volume of a product sold at the market equilibrium price). Secondary data from 1950 (where available) through 2019 were compiled on each species, including (1) global aquaculture production, (2) US aquaculture production, (3) US commercial landings, (4) US recreational landings, and (5) imports. Current effective market demand (measured as the sum of commercial landings, farmed production, and imports) was low, totaling 36.6 million kg across the 20 species, which is equivalent to less than 23% of the annual volume sold of US farmed catfish. Commercial landings for 17 of the 20 species exhibited declines, potentially offering opportunities for farmed product to capture market share by filling the increasing gaps in
The greatest percentage of tilapia farm respondents (57%) were located in the Southern Aquacultur... more The greatest percentage of tilapia farm respondents (57%) were located in the Southern Aquaculture Region, followed by the North Central Aquaculture Region (23%), the Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Region (11%), and the Western Aquaculture Region (9%) (Table 3). There were no tilapia respondents from the Northeast Aquaculture Region. Table 3. Participation by aquaculture region. Region Percentage of survey respondents Southern 57% North Central 23% Tropical and Subtropical 11% Western 9% Northeastern 0% Key Findings Eighty-one percent of tilapia respondents reported that their farm or business had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A few respondents who reported not having been affected by COVID-19 indicated that they were either in a construction phase without sales, that they grew aquaponic crops only for family consumption, or that they were a university, not a commercial program.
Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and greater scaup (A. marila), hereafter scaup, consume a variety o... more Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and greater scaup (A. marila), hereafter scaup, consume a variety of aquatic invertebrates, plants, and occasionally small fish. Scaup have foraged on commercial aquaculture farms in the southern United States for decades. However, the types, abundance, and rate of fish exploitation by scaup on baitfish and sportfish farms are not well documented. Thus, information is needed to understand how fish and other foods influence scaup use of aquatic resources, and any potential economic effects of depredation of fish. From November-March in winters 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, we conducted 1,458 pond surveys to estimate the abundance and distribution of scaup on Arkansas baitfish and sportfish farms that commercially produce species such as golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas), fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), goldfish (Carassius auratus), and sunfish (Lepomis spp.). We also collected and processed 531 foraging scaup and quantified the proportion of scaup consuming fish and the proportion of their diet obtained from fish. Fish consumption was highly variable between years. In our survey area, we estimated total fish consumption at 1,400 kg and 60,500 kg for winters 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, respectively. Sunfish ponds experienced the maximum loss (18,000 fish/ha) during winter 2017-2018, while goldfish ponds experienced a loss of just 2,600 fish/ha during the same winter. The estimates of baitfish and sportfish loss to scaup revealed potential management strategies for minimizing fish loss and can inform economic analysis of the financial impact of scaup on producers.
Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, Jun 1, 2015
The double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, is considered the primary depredating bird s... more The double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, is considered the primary depredating bird species on commercially produced channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, in the southeastern USA. We simulated different levels of cormorant predation on losses at harvest and economic effects on channel catfish production in a multiple-batch cropping system. We observed significant (P < 0.05) declines in catfish production at increasing levels of cormorant predation in this study. This decline was mitigated by increased individual growth of catfish at higher predation rates (i.e., lower catfish densities). This mitigating effect produced a non-linear relationship with total kg of catfish harvested per pond resulting in a non-linear incremental increase in breakeven price related to predation. Costs of production ($/kg) increased with increasing predation levels up to very high levels of predation with a cumulative maximum increase in breakeven price of $0.143/kg. These results indicate that losses at harvest due to cormorant predation occur immediately but are mitigated in part by compensatory growth of individual catfish. Losses due to cormorant predation in multi-batch systems can be considerable, but there is not a 1:1 relationship between losses and kg of catfish harvested due to compensatory factors.
Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of spe... more Global production of marine finfish has grown in total volume of production and the number of species farmed commercially, but there has been little production in the United States of marine finfish other than salmon and red drum. For most species considered to be ready for commercialization, there are few or no farms from which to evaluate the size of the market or to estimate revenues and costs necessary to assess economic feasibility. This present study takes a first step to fill this gap with an analysis of the existing supply of 20 marine finfish species identified as candidates for commercialization in the United States, as a proxy for effective demand (the volume of a product sold at the market equilibrium price). Secondary data from 1950 (where available) through 2019 were compiled on each species, including (1) global aquaculture production, (2) US aquaculture production, (3) US commercial landings, (4) US recreational landings, and (5) imports. Current effective market dem...
Understanding farm-level efficiencies of resource use is critical in comparisons of the sustainab... more Understanding farm-level efficiencies of resource use is critical in comparisons of the sustainability of aquaculture production systems. We developed a set of practical resource-use efficiency metrics to calculate and compare resource-use efficiency with resource-cost efficiency across major species and production systems in US aquaculture. Results showed that no one production system used all resources most efficiently. Intensive pond production of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus demonstrated the greatest efficiency in the use of water, energy, labor, management, and capital resources, while RAS production was most efficient in terms of land and feed use. Among the wide array of pond scenarios examined, more intensive scenarios generally were more efficient in terms of several metrics, but economic sustainability also depends upon business models that effectively meet differing demand requirements of customers. Thus, less intensive production systems were economically sustainable in areas with relatively abundant land and water resources available at lower cost. Labor efficiencies varied widely across scenarios analyzed. Given increasing concerns related to the availability of labor for aquaculture farming in the USA, greater attention to the efficiency of labor on farms is warranted. The metrics used were aligned with common farm management tools (e.g. enterprise budgets) that allow for ease of use by farms and researchers to assess effects on comparative resource-use efficiencies of new farming practices and technologies under development.
Abstract Volatility in catfish pond bank and feed prices lead to profit uncertainty in the catfis... more Abstract Volatility in catfish pond bank and feed prices lead to profit uncertainty in the catfish industry. Analysis of the factors that affect those prices and development of a forecasting model would provide guidance to catfish farm managers. Error-correction models (ECM) based on cointegrating relationships among variables were specified following development of a single-equation ARIMAX model. Factors identified as those that influence catfish price were: lagged value of catfish, feed and substitute product prices, while those that influenced feed price were: lagged value of feed, corn and soybean prices. ECM estimates implied that fish price adjusts approximately 6% and feed price 22% to the long-run equilibrium in 1 month. The analysis showed that it takes less than 17 months and 5 months to correct for long-run disequilibrium for catfish and feed prices, respectively. The ARIMAX model demonstrated a better fit for both in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting for catfish price and had better out-of-sample predictive ability for feed prices.
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Papers by Carole Engle