Farming on a Different Scale

Voluntary Programs Help Improve the Quality of Aquaculture Industry in Arkansas

Whether you picture agriculture as raising livestock, growing forests, or planting row crops, Arkansas farms are a key element of our landscape and economy. There are over 40,000 farms in the state, but there is a specialized niche of 70 or so farms centered near Lonoke and Prairie counties that is all about raising fish. Aquatic farm animals, as they are technically referred to, can be raised for bait, food, or sport, and collectively this practice falls under aquaculture. According to the 2018 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Aquaculture, Arkansas leads the nation in both baitfish at $22.1 million and sport fish at $13.7 million production. Food fish production in Arkansas was $29.5 million. Regardless of category, aquaculture involves some form of intervention in the rearing process, such as seeding, stocking, feeding, and protection from predators. Most of our farmed fish are shipped live to markets outside of Arkansas and will ultimately end up in ponds, lakes, or rivers for recreational fishing. Other states and countries can be very particular about the risk of imported fish bringing along nuisance species, parasites, or microorganisms that can adversely impact their native species. Some diseases are so serious that they are designated as “reportable”, which means that state and federal authorities must be notified if these diseases are detected by lab testing and authorities may issue a stop order to quarantine the farms.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department) not only tests fish for reportable diseases and parasites but also inspects aquaculture ponds for aquatic nuisance species. These two testing protocols form the basis for a voluntary baitfish certification program that opens up “The aquaculture industry markets throughout is economically and biologically important to the U.S. and around the world. Aquaculture farmers submit fish the State of Arkansas...” specimens representing each species to be shipped in one of two seasonal surges: March – May and September – November. In the spring inspection season of 2021, the Department’s aquaculture laboratory in Little Rock processed almost 10,000 fish from 45 farms. Other essential aspects of this program involve stringent biosecurity requirements for each participating farm detailing continuity of inspections, quarantines, and water sourcing. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) also supports aquaculture by issuing permits allowing farm owners to physically house listed species on their premises. The benefit to farmers is that the AGFC then compiles this information to market Arkansas-raised fish to dealers, distributors, 3rd-party haulers, and bait shops. An additional benefit is that fish farmers can be more closely involved with the formal process of crafting aquaculture regulations. According to Kelly Winningham, a Fisheries Pathologist with AGFC, "The aquaculture industry is economically and biologically important to the State of Arkansas and AGFC. The industry rears quality sport fish,

food fish, and baitfish species that are certified free of disease and aquatic nuisance species. Certified baitfish purchased by anglers is essential in helping prevent the introduction and spread of disease and aquatic nuisance species to the natural resources of Arkansas."

Aquaculture has changed over the last several years. Many people naturally assume that aquaculture in Arkansas is synonymous with catfish due to the pioneering work done with catfish production in the state in the early 1960s, Keo Fish Farm’s Mike Freeze notes, “Acreage devoted to catfish farming has decreased from a high of some 35,000 acres to less than 5,000 acres currently. Alternative food fish species (tilapia), foreign competition, and high feed prices are contributing factors.” But, farmers are resilient, and according to Drew Mitchell, Executive Director of the Catfish Farmers of Arkansas, “We have some of the most progressive and innovative catfish farmers in the nation. Arkansas fish farmers produce most of the catfish sold for recreational ponds nationwide.” Arkansas catfish production is consistently ranked within the top three catfish-producing states by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistical Service.

The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted Arkansas’s aquaculture industry. According to Freeze, “COVID-19 has been a double-edged sword. It has cut the demand for farm-raised fish sold to restaurants, but it has increased the demand for fish sold for outdoor recreation. Since COVID-19, the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission has seen an increase in the number of fishing licenses issued, and with early retirements and alternative work schedules, the last two “COVID-19” years have seen record sales of recreational fish." Raising aquatic livestock, whether for food or recreation, may be a lesser-known cousin of other livestock, poultry, and row crop production, but it shares long days and year-round work. Many of these long days are spent in waders in ponds that sometimes freeze like other livestock ponds. As Berto Chavez, seining crew chief at GentryCanterberry Fish Farm near Lonoke, told a recent visitor, “I’ve had to break through ice to seine fish. The only day we don’t work is when FedEx isn’t running.” Financing can be another point of concern for aquaculture producers. More than one aquaculture farmer contrasted a livestock or rowcrop farmer’s ability to show animals or crops to a banker, whereas their livestock lives beneath the water’s surface. So, there’s more to aquaculture than meets the eye. Arkansas’s abundant natural resources, balanced regulations developed with input from stakeholders, careful monitoring for wellness, and permitting of animal movement join together with hard work, resiliency, and ingenuity of our farmers to consistently satisfy a national demand for farmed baitfish, sport fish, and food fish.