Estimating growout production costs of commercial‐scale marine finfish production in southern tier US states

• Published in: Journal of the World Aquaculture Society
• Main Authors: Engle, Carole Ruth, Boldt, Noah C., van Senten, Jonathan, Schwarz, Michael
• Other Authors: Agricultural Research Service
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2024
• Subjects: Red drum; Sciaenops ocellatus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jwas.13075; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jwas.13075

Abstract Increased interest in marine fish farming in the United States has led to a need for fundamental economic information on production of candidate species for commercialization in various production systems. Funding for the project targeted those species with potential for production in southern tier states in the United States. Sufficient technical data were found to develop comprehensive budget analyses to estimate growout production costs for four scales of production for each of 10 species with potential for production in ponds, 13 in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), and five in net pens. The choice of species/production system scenarios was based on evidence of successful production on farms or in research. Estimation of production costs with enterprise budgets can provide useful guidance to identify the types of improved efficiencies that have the greatest effect on economic viability even when commercial farm data are not available. Commercial farm data were used where available, but for most species, data were available only from studies conducted under research conditions. Per‐kg costs of production were lowest for net pen production, followed by ponds, with production costs in RAS two to five times greater than in ponds or net pens. Ponds and net pens generally exhibited greater efficiency of use of capital assets across species than did RAS that resulted in lower percentages of fixed costs and lower annual costs per kg of fish produced. All five species evaluated for net pen production were estimated to be profitable, including redfish, Sciaenops ocellatus (also known as red drum), striped bass, Morone saxatilis , cobia, Rachycentron canadum , red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus , and seriolids (generic budget for almaco jack, Seriola rivoliana , California yellowtail, Seriola lalandi , and greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili ), four in ponds (redfish, hybrid drum, ♀ Pogonias cromis × ♂ Sciaenops ocellatus , black sea bass, Centropristis striata , and cobia), but none of the RAS scenarios ...