W4004: Marketing, Trade, and Management of Aquaculture and Fishery Resources

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Active

Project Menu

SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[04/27/2022] [06/27/2023] [04/25/2024] [09/24/2024]

Date of Annual Report: 04/27/2022

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 02/27/2022 - 02/28/2022
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2021 - 02/25/2022

Participants

See attached meeting minutes.

Participants Attachment:

Feb meeting minutes.pdf

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

Feb meeting minutes.pdf

Accomplishments

Coastal sense of place among recreational fishers and its influences on environmental attitudes and behaviors (Diamond and Treviño-Peña) <ul> <li class="p1">Hired two graduate research assistants and an undergraduate research assistant (Science and Engineering Fellow) during the summer of 2021, and continued funding one GRA through AY 2021-2022, to assist our research team collect 201 intercept surveys and 29 phone interviews with coastal resource users and fishers.</li> <li class="p1"> A paper accepted to be presented at the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Annual Conference (June 2022). </li> <li class="p1"> Three working papers are being prepared for submission on the role of coastal place attachment in informing fisher conservation behaviors. </li> </ul>  Electrofishing for blue catfish (Scheld) <ul> <li>Survey out now to approximately 800 commercial fishers and are organizing interviews with seafood processors.</li> </ul>  Cultivating demand for unfamiliar and underutilized species (Uchida) <ul> <li>Completed seafood restaurant field experiment. <ul> <li>10 restaurants participated for a total of six weeks.</li> <li>Provided one fish/seafood item per week to experiment. Species included are Spanish mackerel, red drum, triggerfish, and blue crab.</li> <li>These species were provided free of charge to restaurants and served to their customers.</li> <li>Pre- and post-experiment surveys to restaurant chefs are completed.</li> <li>Customer feedback surveys were also collected (over 200 responses).</li> </ul> </li> </ul>  Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishery closure (Miller) Recent marine heatwaves in 2014-2016 and 2019 in the Gulf of Alaska and the subsequent closure of the Pacific Cod fishery highlight the need to understand how ocean warming affects reproduction, growth, and recruitment. We determined that the marine heatwaves affected both the phenology and growth of juvenile Pacific Cod in the GOA. Hatch dates were notably earlier during and after the prolonged marine heatwaves - an average of 23 d earlier since 2014. We estimated, based on laboratory-derived developmental rates, that the direct effects of warmer temperatures on embryonic development during the heatwaves could account for ~28% of the shift in juvenile hatch dates. Therefore, other factors, such as changes in the timing of spawning or selective mortality, also contributed to the observed shifts in hatch timing. Such large shifts in hatching phenology can lead to mismatches with prey, influence subsequent growth, expose larvae to different predator communities, and lead to earlier settlement or settlement at larger sizes. However, hatch dates have remained earlier, including in recent years that were not classified as marine heatwaves. In fact, the earliest mean hatch date observed, March 1, occurred in 2018. Additionally, in 2021, the juveniles collected in Kodiak Island nurseries displayed a bimodal size distribution with a greater range of fish sizes than observed in any previous year. These persistent shifts in hatch timing and juvenile size-at-settlement suggest that population-level responses to the marine heatwaves may include temporal shifts in spawning behavior and/or changes in the mechanisms regulating early mortality. Columbia River interior spring Chinook salmon survival (Miller) Completed a project funded by the Bonneville Power Administration to determine factors regulating the survival of spring Chinook salmon from the Columbia River.  In anadromous fishes, the transition from freshwater to marine habitats is considered a critical period regulating population abundance due to high and variable mortality rates. During this period conditions experienced in freshwater may influence size- and growth-selective mortality in the ocean. We determined that early marine survival and survival to adulthood were higher in individuals that were growing faster immediately prior to marine entry in 2017 but not 2016. This study underscores the importance of processes occurring both prior to and after ocean entry and calls for the incorporation of knowledge on ocean conditions in freshwater salmonid management strategies. <ul> <li>Successful five-year renewal of Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center, which is a NOAA-funded Center focuses on the recruitment, training, and retention of students from under-served communities in n marine fisheries (2021-2026: $30M, $1.8M to OSU/Miller).</li> <li>Proposal recently funded by the North Pacific Research Board “Pacific Cod growth and metabolic responses to temperature derived from ancient and modern otoliths” (2022-2024: $299,988). This project will evaluate mechanisms regulating survival of Pacific Cod during recent marine heatwave and provide information on Pacific Cod performance and regional population persistence in current and future predicted environments.</li> <li>Presentation on the impacts of marine heatwaves on coastal fishes to the Nehalem Watershed Council, May 2022, virtual, 10 attendees</li> <li>2022 Hatfield Marine Science Center’s Marine Science Day, virtual displays for all projects in the lab. ~2500 attendees.</li> </ul> Supporting Direct Sales of Farmed Fish in Illinois and Indiana (Quagrainie) <ul> <li>Project completed.</li> </ul> Analysis of Seafood Market for North Central Region Fish species (Quagrainie)  <ul> <li>Project completed.</li> </ul>   Awards and Recognitions <ul> <li class="p1">Kevin Fitzsimmons was awarded the World Aquaculture Society Fellow, recognizing many years of service to the Society and the aquaculture industry, at the World Aquaculture 2022 meeting in San Diego, CA, on Feb 28th.</li> <li class="p1">A publication Andrew Ropicki co-authored (Evaluating the regional economic contributions of U.S. aquaculture: Case study of Florida’s shellfish aquaculture industry) in Aquaculture Economics & Management was awarded a 2022 UF/IFAS High Impact Research Publication Award.</li> </ul>

Publications

Impact Statements

A. Ropicki: Online Oyster Aquaculture Course Lecture (Financial Considerations in Starting Your Farm) as part of the Gulf Coast Grown Online Oyster Culture Course (https://oyster-culture.teachable.com/) has been viewed over 400 times since launching on June 15, 2021.

Date of Annual Report: 06/27/2023

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 05/24/2023 - 05/25/2023
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2022 - 05/23/2023

Participants

Participants Attachment:

May meeting minutes.pdf

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

May meeting minutes.pdf

Accomplishments

Development of two Gulf of Mexico IFQ pricing reports There is a lack of timely data on quota share (sale), quota allocation (lease), and ex-vessel (fish) prices for participants in the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper and Grouper-Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) programs. Information on prices released by NOAA Fisheries in annual reports is 8-20 months out of date when released. Fishermen and dealers need access to timely information on market prices (share, allocation, and ex-vessel) to make informed business decisions. The lack of access to market data hinders quota trading and the businesses involved in the industry. To provide more timely information on IFQ prices (share, allocation, and ex-vessel) I implemented a survey of IFQ participants that asks them about market prices they have either recently traded at or heard others traded at. The information gathered from the industry is used to create IFQ Pricing Reports that are made available to all lFQ fishermen and dealers through the Florida Sea Grant website (<a href="http://www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/ifq-pricing-reports/)">https://www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/ifq-pricing-reports/</a>). During FY2022 I completed two surveys and accompanying reports (May 2022 and July-August 2022) that provided fishery participants with timely information on market prices and trends. Commercial fishermen and dealers in the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery use the reports to gather more information on quota markets and to make more informed business decisions.   Network analysis of quota trading in the Gulf of Mexico IFQ fisheries The Gulf of Mexico commercial red snapper and grouper-tilefish fisheries are managed using a catch shares (Individual Fishing Quota - IFQ) based management system. This form of management creates harvest privileges that fishery participants can trade (sale and lease markets exist) amongst themselves to match their harvesting practices in the case of fishermen and their product needs in the case of fish houses (wholesalers and or retailers that purchase fish from fishermen dockside). In catch-shares managed fisheries it is important for fishery managers to understand the mechanics of quota trading to understand how harvest might change geographically and the socioeconomic impacts of management on fishery participants. Using funding from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (the organization charged with rule-making regarding Gulf of Mexico federal waters fisheries) I used social network analysis to evaluate the mechanics of quota trading in the red snapper and grouper-tilefish fisheries and evaluate cointegration of quota lease prices across species groups. The analysis provided the Gulf Council and fishery participants with information on how quota is traded (through fish house centric networks) and the connections between quota lease prices for different species groups. The results were made available through a report on the Gulf Council website (https://gulfcouncil.org/wp content/uploads/A-7b-GMFMC-Final-Report-V2.pdf) and a webinar presentation to Council members and staff and commercial fishermen (400 participants). Gulf Council members and staff were provided with detailed information on how quota markets function with regards to the mechanics of trading and quota price determination. The information provided has been incorporated into several background documents on proposed regulatory changes to the fishery, as such it is being used to inform fishery management policy.   Educating Southeastern oyster farmers on marketing opportunities Oyster aquaculture is a relatively new but growing industry in the southeastern US (Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic}. While the industry has found success selling their oysters within the southeastern region, generally they have not been able to access markets in other regions of the US like west coast and northeastern oyster farmers have. Additionally, southern oysters are often sold at a discount to oysters from other regions in restaurants that sell oysters from multiple regions. Accessing additional geographic markets and marketing their oysters in a manner that allows them to sell at higher prices will allow this industry to continue to grow and flourish. On a project led by a fellow W4004 member (Frank Asche) and funded by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences the project team researched the US restaurant market for oysters and developed materials to improve marketing of southern oysters based on those findings. Firstly, the team developed an online lecture titled "Identifying High-value Market Opportunities for Farmed Oysters" (https://oyster-culture.teachable.com/courses/online-oyster-course/lectures/37439401) as part of an online course on all aspects of oyster farming for southern growers and those considering oyster aquaculture. Additionally, the team developed an extension document titled "Market opportunities for Florida farmed oysters" that is soon to be published as part of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS}. Lastly, a manuscript titled "The value of product attributes for farmed oysters: A hedonic price analysis of U.S. restaurant menus" is under review with the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. The online lecture and forthcoming EDIS document both present the findings of our research on key oyster marketing activities and product attributes important to high value markets (restaurants) across the US in plain language that is easy for growers to understand.   Informing the State of Florida on the potential economic impacts of a shark fin ban In 2021, the State of Florida Legislature tasked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) with determining the economic impacts of a potential shark fin ban on Florida's commercial fishermen. Prior to developing legislation prohibiting the possession and sale of shark fins in Florida (while shark finning is prohibited in Florida and US federal waters the sale and possession of fins after harvest is still legal in Florida if the fins were harvested legally) state government representatives wanted to know the potential impacts on Florida's commercial fishing industry. Working with colleagues from the University of Florida's Food and Resource Economics Department we estimated the economic impacts associated with banning the sale of shark fins by Florida commercial fishermen. The results were shared were presented to FWC through both a report and presentation. Results of the economic analysis were included in a report FWC prepared for the state legislature (https://myfwc.com/ media/28379/sharkfinreport.pdf). The results of our analysis provided FWC and the Florida Legislature with an estimate of the potential impacts of a shark fin ban on Florida's commercial fishing industry.   Impact of heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska on marine communities and fisheries species Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration globally. These marine heatwaves can alter marine ecosystems, affect all life stages of marine species, and lead to sharp declines in fisheries. Marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Alaska have had wide-ranging negative consequences on Pacific Cod, an economically important species that experienced a steep population decline and fishery closure after recent marine heatwaves. We need to understand how marine communities and fisheries species respond to these anomalous warming events throughout their life history, from hatching to reproduction, in order to manage fisheries and prepare for and predict future conditions. We advanced our understanding of how recent marine heatwaves impacted key life history traits, including reproductive timing and early growth of Pacific Cod, an economically important groundfish species. We quantified relationships between temperature and hatch timing, size-at-age, and early growth in the Gulf of Alaska Pacific Cod. These juvenile fish were collected near Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA across 11 years “before” (2007, 2009-2010, 2012-2014) and “since” the start of multiple recent MHWs (2015-2019). We determined that hatching occurred nearly three weeks earlier since MHWs, and only ~30% of this shift in timing was attributable directly to warmer temperatures during egg incubation. However, we observed a more complex relationship between temperature and growth during the early life history. Overall, juvenile Pacific Cod hatched earlier, were much lower in abundance, and experienced substantial changes in growth during and since the marine heatwaves occurred in the Gulf of Alaska. Our target audiences include fisheries managers, fishing communities, and marine scientists. For fishing and coastal communities, understanding how marine heatwaves affect the survival of key species, such as Pacific Cod, can provide an early warning to fishing communities regarding future fishing conditions. To that end, we have presented and discussed our research with coastal communities and students in several formal and informal venues. A greater understanding of the impacts of marine heatwaves on marine ecosystems and fishery species can raise public awareness of current and future climate challenges. We also developed two videos on our research on Gulf of Alaska Pacific Cod for the virtual Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Day’s in 2022. Both can be found on this website: <a href="https://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/marine-science-day/research-and-discovery/fisheries-exhibits/marine-and-anadromous-fisheries-ecology-lab">https://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/marine-science-day/research-and-discovery/fisheries-exhibits/marine-and-anadromous-fisheries-ecology-lab</a>   Expanding markets for invasive species <ul> <li>Blue catfish is harmful invasive species in Chesapeake Bay with small commercial fishery.</li> <li>Evaluate market constraints (production, consumption) via surveys and interviews.</li> <li>Commercial participation is strongly price dependent → Effort (fishing days) = 49.4 x Price.</li> <li>Consumers view as superior product to farm-raised catfish, WTP influenced by environmental information.</li> </ul> Evaluating interactions between offshore wind and commercial fisheries <ul> <li>Offshore wind energy development is expanding rapidly throughout US coastal waters.</li> <li>Many interactions with commercial fisheries → effort displacement, scientific surveys, species habitat, shoreside impacts.</li> <li>Agent-based modeling tools developed to evaluate broad range of questions in commercial shellfish fisheries (scallop, surfclam, quahog).</li> </ul> Labor supply and demand in shellfish aquaculture <ul> <li>Labor constraints faced by many shellfish aquaculture farms.</li> <li>Potential solutions include workforce development, changes in worker visa policies, adoption of labor-saving technology or growing practices.</li> <li>USDA project to: 1) investigate labor demands across different growing methods; 2) assess attitudes, perceptions, and preferences regarding labor availability and potential solutions; 3) develop productivity benchmarking tool.</li> </ul> Foodborne illness risk in oyster farming <ul> <li>Main research question: How can an oyster farmer protect itself from the foodborne illness outbreak incident in a neighboring farm(s)?</li> <li>Completed field auction experiment, collecting data and observations from 360 RI consumers.</li> <li>Main results: <ul> <li>Outbreak news do negatively impact the demand of oysters.</li> <li>Positive information did rebound or shield the outbreak news impact for oysters.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Findings have been presented in several conferences (NAREA 2021; IIFET 2022)</li> </ul> Demand potential for unfamiliar seafood <ul> <li>Main research question: When southern species’ distributions shift northward and are landed in SNE, will consumers accept them? <ul> <li>Relates to fishing industry’s resiliency to climate change shocks.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Methods: <ul> <li>Consumers survey (NE residents & visitors via Mturk)</li> <li>Restaurant experiment (4 species, six weeks)</li> <li>Restaurant customers feedback</li> </ul> </li> <li>Main results: <ul> <li>SNE consumers are really hesitant to consume unfamiliar fish species.</li> <li>Visitors are a little more accepting but maybe because they’re familiar with these species (e.g., red drum).</li> </ul> </li> <li>Results were presented at NAAFE 2023 conference.</li> </ul> Market for ikejime seafood in RI (just starting) <ul> <li>Main research question: Can a market for ikejime seafood from local underappreciated species be created? <ul> <li>Aiming for high(er) quality & affordable local seafood</li> <li>Focusing on small-scale and part-time commercial fishers</li> </ul> </li> <li>Method: <ul> <li>‘Train the trainers” with Ike Jime Federation à train RI fishers</li> <li>Tasting and demonstration sessions with dealers, retailers, chefs</li> <li>Tasting events with consumers</li> <li>Conduct a survey on each stakeholder to estimate WTA and WTP.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Funding secured; project period is 2023-25.</li> </ul> Economic solutions for ghost gear <ul> <li>Main reesearch question: What economic instruments can be used to sustainably generate funds for the ghost gear removal program?</li> <li>Methods: <ul> <li>Estimating the economic cost of ghost gear à benefit of removal</li> <li>Lab experiments for testing different measures <ul> <li>Permit fee (e.g., when purchasing a lobster pot)</li> <li>Landing fee</li> <li>Fee and Rebate</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>Grant proposal submitted (pending)</li> </ul>  F3: Future of Fish Feed - Accelerating the race to replace the fish in fish feed <ul> <li>F3 Initiative is an “X-prize” style contests to encourage and demonstrate the variety of alternative ingredients and companies producing them.</li> <li>So far, we have conducted 3 contests and awarded $750,000 in prizes. The initiative also organized two conferences where we invited alternative ingredient companies to tout their products to major aquafeed producers, fish and shrimp farming companies, and investors/venture capitalists from Silicon Valley. During Covid we conducted a series of free-access webinars which drew up to 20,000 attendees each.</li> <li>Finally, we have sponsored a series of fish feeding trials utilizing novel ingredients to produce fish-free diets.</li> </ul> Blue Foods: Scaling up Sustainable Aquaculture and Seaweed: Novel feed ingredients and what it means for the sustainability of the aquafeeds industry <ul> <li>The main focus is on aquafeeds: transitioning from feeding high levels of fishmeal and fish oil to more sustainable and economic formulated feeds based on grains, oil seed meals, farmed animal by-products, and increasingly novel sustainable ingredients.</li> <li>As fishmeal and fish oils content in feeds decreased, it has been harder to match up the ratios of nutrients properly. Many novel ingredients are much closer to things aquatic animals naturally consume. <ul> <li>Eliminate wild-caught fish meal and fish oil from diets in favor of sustainably sourced ingredients providing equivalent nutrients.</li> <li>Explain to industry insiders that nutrients are key and that there are no “required” ingredients.</li> <li>Educate the farmers, processors, buyers and consumers of seafood that fish-free farmed seafood is similar to grass fed beef or free-range poultry as a way to protect the environment with their food dollars.</li> </ul> </li> </ul>  Other recently completed and ongoing projects being conducted under W4004 themes <ul> <li>Measuring consumer surplus generated by establishing commercial fishery of mesopelagic species. This fishery would primarily support aquaculture production. Preliminary findings suggest U.S. population over 18 years of age could experience lower bound welfare gains of $3.5 billion per year by establishing this fishery.</li> <li>Investigating economic feasibility of using invasive carp (silver carp) as alternative bait source for U.S. lobster industry.</li> <li>Examining whether the demand-side interventions can effectively reduce pressure on wild fish stocks, particularly via the introduction of a novel lab-grown seafood product.</li> </ul>

Publications

Impact Statements

Miller: Pacific cod research videos were created for Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Day’s in 2022.

Date of Annual Report: 04/25/2024

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 02/19/2024 - 02/19/2024
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2023 - 02/19/2024

Participants

In-Person
Asche, Frank (University of Florida)
Dey, Madan (Texas State University)
Fitzsimmons, Kevin (University of Arizona)
Kumar, Ganesh (Mississippi State U)
Quagrainie, Kwamena (Purdue University)
Ropicki, Andrew (University of Florida)
Garlock, Taryn (Auburn University)
Online
Anderson, James (University of Florida)
Humphries, Austin (University of Rhode Island)
Leong, Kirsten (NOAA Fisheries)
Szuster, Brian (University of Hawaii)
Treviño-Peña, Melva (University of Rhode Island)

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Development of two Gulf of America IFQ pricing reports There is a lack of timely data on quota share (sale), quota allocation (lease), and ex-vessel (fish) prices for participants in the Gulf of America Red Snapper and Grouper-Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) programs. Information on prices released by NOAA Fisheries in annual reports is 8-20 months out of date when released. Fishermen and dealers need access to timely information on market prices (share, allocation, and ex-vessel) to make informed business decisions. The lack of access to market data hinders quota trading and the businesses involved in the industry. To provide more timely information on IFQ prices (share, allocation, and ex-vessel) I implemented a survey of IFQ participants that asks them about market prices they have either recently traded at or heard others traded at. The information gathered from the industry is used to create IFQ Pricing Reports that are made available to all lFQ fishermen and dealers through the Florida Sea Grant website (<a href="http://www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/ifq-pricing-reports/)">https://www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/ifq-pricing-reports/</a>). During October 2023 and January 2024 I completed two surveys and accompanying reports (https://www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/ifq-pricing-reports/) that provided fishery participants with timely information on market prices and trends. Commercial fishermen and dealers in the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery use the reports to gather more information on quota markets and to make more informed business decisions. The website was viewed over 1,100 times in 2024.    Development and Demonstration of Aquaponic Systems in Resource Limited Communities in central Kenya Working with the Jewish National Fund and the Arava Institute in Israel, Kevin Fitzsimmons helped develop and demonstrate aquaponic systems in resource limited communities in central Kenya. Two visits to Kenya were conducted evaluating local communities and universities as partners for aquaponics demonstration and training.    Developing the next generation of USDA researchers and scientists University of Arizona, New Mexico State and Santa Fe Community College received a USDA-NIFA NextGen grant to provide scholarships and internships for under-represented populations preparing professionals for employment in various USDA agencies dealing with fisheries, aquaculture and seafood. Work included four presentations/guest lectures to high school and community college studnets to recruit for the program. Six students are currently on scholarship and one FFA career development event for 20 high school teams was held. Indicators for the project include 120 students at presentations, 6 interns, and 80 students in the competition (Kevin Fitzsimmons).    Development and Testing of Oyster Farm Monitoring Equipment Developed and trialed (with commercial growers) sensors designed to track behaviors and environmental conditions that can help oyster farmers improve their productivity. Commercial grower, Fox Point Oysters, trialed the sensors. The trials were covered in a news story by the popular press (<a href="https://www.wcvb.com/article/oyster-science-research-unh-university-new-hampshire-scientists-researchers-mollusk-farming/46686299">https://www.wcvb.com/article/oyster-science-research-unh-university-new-hampshire-scientists-researchers-mollusk-farming/46686299</a>) (Easton White).   Improving Resiliency in Rhode Island's Aquaculture Industry Hosted a workshop in January 2024 with 20 stakeholders from the Rhode Island aquaculture industry. The goal of the workshop was to build relationships and co-create solutions to the industry's resilience challenges. Takeaways from the workshop are informing a peer-reviewed publication and a practitioner-focused summary report to guide the state's aquaculture industry towards greater resilience in the coming decade (Emily Diamond).    Examining the Potential of Silver Carp as Lobster Bait Research project examining the potential of silver carp as a lower cost bait for American Lobster fishermen in the Northeast. As the traditional bait (herring) becomes more scarce and more expensive this project examined the potential of using invasive silver carp as a lower cost alterantive. (Mike Weir)   Economics of Risk in U.S. Aquaculture Production and Markets As part of a Sea Grant funded project developed an agnostic risk model that can be parameterized to different systems & scenarios including extensive aquaculture (clams and oysters) and intensive RAS-based aquaculture (salmon and shrimp). The project has resulted in 18 presentations, 1 online teaching model, and 9 academic publications. (Frank Asche, Andrew Ropicki, and Jim Anderson).   Introducing ikejime seafood in Rhode Island markets Ikejime is a method of humanely killing fishing that has been found to increase product quality and shelf life. This project is increasing the market value of locally caught species in Rhode Island through ikejime. By increasing product quality and shelf life the project is improving marketability. The project has involved 'train the trainer' events with extension agents and will in the future include fishermen training and demonstrations and surveys of supply chain members (dealers, fishmongers, and restaurants) and consumers to measure market acceptance and attitudes. (Hiro Uchida).   Economic Impact of Seafood Industry in RI Economy Updated a 2019 report to accurately reflect the current economic contributions of the Rhode Island seafood industry and developed a manual for updating the numbers for state government staff for continued and timely updating in the future. Increasing awareness and understanding of the economic contribution of Rhode Island's commercial seafood industry can better highlight industry importance with local, state, and federal policymakers. (Hiro Uchida).

Publications

Impact Statements

Gulf of Alaska Pacific Cod Fishery Closure

Date of Annual Report: 09/24/2024

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 03/26/2025 - 03/26/2025
Period the Report Covers: 02/18/2024 - 02/17/2025

Participants

Participants:
Anderson, James (University of Florida)
Asche, Frank (University of Florida)
Garlock, Taryn (Auburn University)
Scheld, Andrew (Virginia Institute of Marine Science)
Uchida, Hirotsugu (University of Rhode Island)

Participants:
Anderson, James (University of Florida)
Asche, Frank (University of Florida)
Garlock, Taryn (Auburn University)
Uchida, Hirotsugu (University of Rhode Island)
Fitzsimmons, Kevin (University of Arizona)
Karunakaran, Ganesh (Mississippi State University)
Treviño Peña, Melva (University of Rhode Island)
Anderson, Thomas Jr. (University of Florida)
Miller, Jessica (Oregon State University)
Dhar, Arun (University of Arizona)
Leong, Kirsten (University of Hawaii)
Quagrainie, Kwamena K (Purdue University)
Weir, Michael (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Sullivan, Timothy (USDA NIFA, W4004 NIFA Rep)

Brief Summary of Minutes

Annual Meetings

W4004: Marketing, Trade, and Management of Aquaculture and Fishery

Meeting #1: In-person meeting

Resources Date: March 26, 2025

Location: La Jolla, CA

Participants:

Anderson, James (University of Florida)

Asche, Frank (University of Florida)

Garlock, Taryn (Auburn University)

Scheld, Andrew (Virginia Institute of Marine Science)

Uchida, Hirotsugu (University of Rhode Island)

Summary

This was the fourth meeting of W4004 since it was launched in October 2021. In-person attendance was somewhat limited due to a split among members regarding 2025 conference attendance.

While U.S.-based fisheries/aquaculture economics conference choices are generally limited, 2025 included both a triennial aquaculture meeting in the U.S. (Aquaculture 2025 – March 6-10 in New Orleans, LA) and the biennial North American Association of Fisheries Economists (NAAFE) meeting (March 24-27, La Jolla, CA). W4004 membership was fairly evenly split between in-person attendance at Aquaculture 2025 and NAAFE. Due to a slightly larger contingent at NAAFE it was selected as the site of the in-person meeting but it was decided by the membership to hold an additional online meeting in April 2025 (April 25, 2025 – 3pm Eastern).

Annual Meetings

W4004: Marketing, Trade, and Management of Aquaculture and Fishery

Meeting #2: Online Meeting

Resources Date: April 25, 2025

Participants:

Anderson, James (University of Florida)

Asche, Frank (University of Florida)

Garlock, Taryn (Auburn University)

Uchida, Hirotsugu (University of Rhode Island)

Fitzsimmons, Kevin (University of Arizona)

Karunakaran, Ganesh (Mississippi State University)

Treviño Peña, Melva (University of Rhode Island)

Anderson, Thomas Jr. (University of Florida)

Miller, Jessica (Oregon State University)

Dhar, Arun (University of Arizona)

Leong, Kirsten (University of Hawaii)

Quagrainie, Kwamena K (Purdue University)

Weir, Michael (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Sullivan, Timothy (USDA NIFA, W4004 NIFA Rep)

Summary

This online meeting was held in addition to the in-person meeting at the North American Association of Fisheries Economists (noted on the previous page) to allow for increased participation and collaboration among group members.

The meeting kicked off with a discussion of the 2024 review of the group and its accomplishments. The group discussed both the need to better highlight collaborative efforts among group members already occurring and increasing collaboration among group members. The group plans to meet more frequently to foster collaboration and has made an additional effort to highlight collaborations already occurring across institutions to address concerns raised in the review of the W4004 group's progress to date.

The meeting also included a discussion of whether the group wishes to continue the project past its end date and what focus would suit the group. There was broad consensus among participants to attempt to continue the project past its expiration date through renewal. In addition, there was discussion of ways to enhance the value of group outputs for a renewed version of W4004. The team is planning to meet again in late 2025 (virtually) to decide on goals and objectives for a renewed project.

There was a discussion on the best strategies for increasing attendance at the annual meetings. The group includes a mixture of aquaculture and fisheries-focused researchers, and not all attend both of the major domestic conferences for each group (Aquaculture America – annual or North American Association of Fisheries Economists – biennial). Ideas discussed included: alternating conferences, including one or two online meetings of the group each year in addition to the annual meeting to boost collaborations, and holding a meeting not associated with a conference focused solely on W4004 projects. We are still considering the idea of a W4004-specific annual meeting, but are implementing online meetings (1 to 2 per year) to enhance collaborations and outputs.

The meeting also included presentations by each group member on their current and planned work. These presentations are designed to allow us to keep each other abreast of projects and foster collaborations.

Accomplishments

W4004 Accomplishments (2024)   This section focuses on intended activities, outputs, and short-term outcomes. Committees should build information around the activity's milestones, as identified in the original proposal. Please indicate significant evidence of linkages both internal to the project/committee and to external peer groups, stakeholders, clientele, and other multistate activities. The report should also reflect on the items that stakeholders want to know or want to see. The committee should describe plans for the coming year in no more than one or two short paragraphs. If the committee is filing an annual report, the accomplishments will cover only the current year of the project; for termination reports, list accomplishments from the entire span of the project. <ul> <li>Short-term Outcomes:Quantitative, measurable benefits of the research outputs as experienced by those who receive them. Examples include the adoption of a technology, the creation of jobs, reduced cost to the consumer, less pesticide exposure to farmers, or access to more nutritious food.</li> <li>Outputs:Defined products (tangible or intangible) that are delivered by a research project. Examples of outputs are reports, data, information, observations, publications, and patents.</li> <li>Activities:Organized and specific functions or duties carried out by individuals or teams using scientific methods to reveal new knowledge and develop new understanding.</li> <li>Milestones:Key intermediate targets necessary for achieving and/or delivering the outputs of a project, within an agreed timeframe. Milestones are useful for managing complex projects. For example, a milestone for a biotechnology project might be "To reduce our genetic transformation procedures to practice by December 2004."</li> </ul>     Objective: Marketing, Niches, and New Products <ol> <li>Activity: Restaurant and Supermarket Demand of Important Aquaculture Species (collaborators: Taryn Garlock, Frank Asche, Andrew Ropicki - 3 collaborators at 2 institutions): Grant funded research project to address data gaps in the retail and food service sectors by exploring purchaser preferences, sales trends, and product availability of three emerging species in the southeastern region: red drum, oysters, and crawfish. This is part of a USDA NIFA Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC) Grant. Improved understanding of the market for these important aquaculture species has the potential to benefit US producers of these species by more effectively identifying effective marketing channels for their products. Survey results will be made available to industry members in the coming year.</li> </ol>   Objective: Production for Dynamic Markets   <ol> <li>Activity: On growing aquaculture of Florida spiny lobster (collaborators: Taryn Garlock, Frank Asche – 2 collaborators at 2 institutions):</li> </ol> A hedonic study examined price variation in the Florida spiny lobster fishery. This work was followed up with a bioeconomic analysis to assess the economic feasibility of ongrowing lobsters (a form of aquaculture) for sale later in the season and to rehabilitate low-grade (low quality) lobsters for sale in the live export market. This information is important to Florida’s spiny lobster fishermen as products sold into the live export market receive a substantial price premium relative to other markets.    Both studies were published in 2024. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission funded this work.           Outputs: Garlock, T., Asche, F., Butler, C., Larkin, S., Matthews, T., Ross, E. 2025. Bioeconomic modeling of on-growing Caribbean spiny lobster in Florida. Aquaculture, 596(2), 741881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741881Garlock, T., Anderson, J., Anderson, T., Kumar, G. 2025. Aquaculture in the United States: An analysis of seven aquaculture sectors from the Aquaculture Performance Indicators perspective. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455411">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455411</a>. Garlock, T., Asche, F., Butler, C., Matthews, T., Ross, E. 2024. Price variation in Caribbean spiny lobster: Incentives for on-growing wild-caught lobsters in Florida. Fisheries Research, 273, 106960. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.106960">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.106960</a>. <ol start="2"> <li>Activity: Labor Demand, Supply, and Associated Constraints Under Alternative Production Methods in the Bivalve Shellfish Culture Industry (collaborators: Andrew Scheld, Andrew Ropicki – 2 collaborators at 2 institutions): USDA NIFA grant-funded research project to examine labor usage in US Gulf and Atlantic shellfish aquaculture operations. The project is employing biweekly surveys of industry collaborators to measure labor usage across different business tasks (production, maintenance, administrative, etc.) for various forms of production (clam vs. oyster, on-bottom vs. off-bottom, etc.). The project will develop benchmarks and best practices for different forms of US shellfish aquaculture production that will be shared with industry members. The project team is currently still collecting and analyzing survey data from industry participants and will begin developing benchmarks and best practices information in late 2025 and will share information with industry members in late 2025 and 2026.</li> <li>Activity: Improving Understanding of fish survival in the face of environmental stressors (collaborator: Jessica Miller): Improving understanding of how environmental stressors impact commercially important species (pacific cod) and understanding the dynamics of key fish stocks (chinook salmon) has the potential to improve the resiliency and profitability of U.S fisheries.</li> </ol>   Marine heatwaves (MHW) in 2014-2016 and 2019 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and the subsequent closure of the Pacific Cod fishery highlight the need to understand how ocean warming affects reproduction, growth, and recruitment. Our recent work focused on how these MHWs influenced the early life stages of Pacific Cod. We partnered with federal fisheries scientists to complete a retrospective study on larval Pacific Cod collected before, during, and after these recent MHWs. We found that the notably larval Pacific Cod, contrary to expectations, grew slower and were smaller in size at-age during ocean warming.  The larger size during & between MHWs could be entirely explained by older ages due to earlier hatching or shifts in phenology. Daily growth variation was well-explained by an interaction among age, temperature, and hatch date. Under cool conditions, early growth was fastest for the latest hatchers. However, this variation converged at warmer temperatures, due to faster growth of earlier hatchers. Stage-specific growth did not vary with temperature, remaining relatively similar from 4 to 8 ℃. Temperature-related demographic changes were more predictable based on phenological shifts rather than changes in growth, which could affect population productivity after MHWs. Miller examined patterns of growth and survival for ICR yearling spring Chinook salmon collected in coastal waters off of Oregon and Washington during late May by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Juvenile Salmon and Ocean Ecosystem Survey (JSOES) across several years (2015-2019 and 2021). We identified consistent differences in the size and condition of juvenile Chinook salmon collected after weeks of marine residence and survival to adulthood varied across salmon hatcheries. These results indicate there are carry-over effects associated with hatchery rearing that are detectable after in-river migration and early marine residence, which may differentially affect survival to adulthood. Longer-term examination of hatchery-specific migratory behavior can improve our understanding of early marine residence and variation in survival rates across discrete hatcheries and geographic regions. Outputs: Miller JA, Almeida LZ, Rogers LA, Thalmann* HL, Forney RM, Laurel BJ (2024) Age, not growth, explains larger body size of Pacific cod larvae during recent marine heatwaves. Scientific Reports 14:19313. Strait N, Taylor D, Forney RM, Amos J, Miller J (2024) Otoliths, bones, teeth, and more: Development of a new polishing wheel for calcified structures. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. Thalmann, H.L., Laurel, B.J., Almeida, L.Z., Osborne, K. E., Marshall, K., and J. A. Miller. 2024. Marine heatwaves alter the nursery function of coastal habitats for juvenile Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod. Scientific Reports 14:14018    Objective: Analyzing the ‘seascape’ of the aquaculture industry in the U.S. <ol> <li>Aquaculture Performance Indicators (W4004 collaborators: Taryn Garlock, Frank Asche, Jim Anderson, Ganesh Kumar, Kevin Fitzsimmons, Hirotsugu Uchida – 6 collaborators at 5 institutions): The Aquaculture Performance Indicators are an assessment tool designed to measure economic, community and environmental performance in aquaculture systems. Data has been collected for more than 70 aquaculture systems around the world. The first paper on the APIs was published in Nature Communications in 2024 and examines the relationships among the three pillars of sustainability and some key sustainability challenges in aquaculture. A second paper was drafted which explores the relationships between enabling factors and sustainability outcomes in aquaculture.</li> </ol> The Fishery Performance Indicators (also created by W4004 researchers) and the Aquaculture Performance Indicators are assessment tools designed to measure how well fishery and aquaculture systems perform in economic, community and environmental dimensions. Currently, more than 150 fishery and 70 aquaculture systems have been assessed using the indicators, and more than 100 people have used or are presently using the indicators in research and development projects.     Outputs: Anderson, J.L., Eggert, H., Garlock, T.M. 2025. Special issue Introduction—Aquaculture performance indicators: A low-cost tool for comparison and evaluation of data-scarce aquaculture sectors around the world. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2458972">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2458972</a>.   Anderson, J.L., Asche, F., Eggert, H., Garlock, T.M. 2025. Introducing the aquaculture performance indicators: A tool to assess the triple bottomline in aquaculture systems. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2446143">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2446143</a>.   Garlock, T., Anderson, J., Anderson, T., Kumar, G. 2025. Aquaculture in the United States: An analysis of seven aquaculture sectors from the Aquaculture Performance Indicators perspective. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455411">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455411</a>.

Publications

Publications organized by W4004 objective (W4004 collaborators bolded) Objective: Marketing, Niches, and New Products   Love, D.C., Brown, M.T., Viglia, S., Asche, F., Garlock, T.M., Jenkins, L., Nguyen, L., Anderson, J.L., Nussbaumer, E.M., Neff, R. 2025. Environmental Impacts and Food Loss and Waste in the U.S. Aquatic Food System. Global Environmental Change, 90, 102964. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.102964">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.102964</a>. Love, D.C., Asche, F., Fry, J., Brown, M., Nguyen, L., Garlock, T.M., Nussbaumer, E.M., Sarmiento, G.L., Tveteras, S., Neff, R. 2024. Fisheries and aquaculture by-products: Case studies in Norway, United States, and Vietnam. Marine Policy, 167, 106276. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106276">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106276</a>.  Objective: Production for Dynamic Markets Asche, F., Garlock, T., Anderson, J., Pincinato, R.B., Anderson, C., Camp, E., Jingjie, C., Cojocaru, A., Eggert, H., Lorenzen, K., Love, D., Tveteras, R. 2025. A review of global fishery performance. Fish and Fisheries. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12890">https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12890</a>. Fry, J. P., Scroggins, R.E., Garlock, T.M., Love, D.C., Asche, F., Brown, M.T., Nussbaumer, E., Nguyen, L., Jenkins, L.D., Anderson, J., Neff, R.A. 2024. Application of the food-energy-water nexus to six seafood supply chains: Hearing from wild and farmed seafood supply chain actors in the U.S., Norway, and Vietnam. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7, 1269026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1269026">https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1269026</a>. Garlock, T., Asche, F., Butler, C., Matthews, T., Ross, E. 2024. Price variation in Caribbean spiny lobster: Incentives for on-growing wild-caught lobsters in Florida. Fisheries Research, 273, 106960. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.106960">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.106960</a>. Garlock, T., Asche, F., Butler, C., Larkin, S., Matthews, T., Ross, E. 2025. Bioeconomic modeling of on-growing Caribbean spiny lobster in Florida. Aquaculture, 596(2), 741881. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741881">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741881</a>. Ropicki, A., Garlock, T., Farzad, R., Hazell, J. 2024. Recirculating Aquaculture System-Based Production as a Pathway to Increase Aquaculture in Developed Countries: The Case of United States Aquaculture. Aquaculture Economics & Management, 28(3), 515-536. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2330051">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2330051</a>.  Miller JA, Almeida LZ, Rogers LA, Thalmann* HL, Forney RM, Laurel BJ (2024) Age, not growth, explains larger body size of Pacific cod larvae during recent marine heatwaves. Scientific Reports 14:19313. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69915-1">http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69915-1</a>.   Strait N, Taylor D, Forney RM, Amos J, Miller J (2024) Otoliths, bones, teeth, and more: Development of a new polishing wheel for calcified structures. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10662">http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10662</a>. Thalmann, H.L., Laurel, B.J., Almeida, L.Z., Osborne, K. E., Marshall, K., and J. A. Miller. 2024. Marine heatwaves alter the nursery function of coastal habitats for juvenile Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod. Scientific Reports 14:14018. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63897-w">10.1038/s41598-024-63897-w</a>. Objective: Analyzing the ‘seascape’ of the aquaculture industry in the U.S.   Anderson, J.L., Asche, F., Eggert, H., Garlock, T.M. 2025. Introducing the aquaculture performance indicators: A tool to assess the triple bottomline in aquaculture systems. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2446143">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2446143</a>.  Anderson, J.L., Eggert, H., Garlock, T.M. 2025. Special issue Introduction—Aquaculture performance indicators: A low-cost tool for comparison and evaluation of data-scarce aquaculture sectors around the world. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2458972">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2458972</a>. Ferreira, J-P. Garlock, T., Court, C.D., Anderson, J.L., Asche, F. 2024. Economic contributions of seafood imports to the U.S. economy – A value chain perspective. Marine Policy, 169, 106375. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106375">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106375</a>. Garlock, T., Anderson, J., Anderson, T., Kumar, G. 2025. Aquaculture in the United States: An analysis of seven aquaculture sectors from the Aquaculture Performance Indicators perspective. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455411">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455411</a>. Garlock, T., Ropicki, A. 2024. Aquaculture supply chains: Insights from mature and emerging industries.  Aquaculture Economics & Management, 28(3), 369-375. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2359803">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2359803</a>. Garlock, T., Asche, F., Anderson, J.L., Eggert, H., Anderson, T.J., Che, B., Chavez, C.A., Chu, J., Chukwuone, N., Nsukka, N., Dey, M.M., Fitzsimmons, K., Flores, J., Guillen, J., Kumar, G., Liu, L., Llorente, I., Nguyen, L., Nielsen, R., Pincinato, R., Surkatal, P.O., Tibesigwa, B., Tveterås, R. 2024. Environmental, economic, and social sustainability in aquaculture. Nature Communications, 15, 5274. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49556-8. Guillen, J., Asche, F., Borriello, A., Carvalho, N., Druon, J.N., Garlock, T., Llorente, I., Macias, D. 2025. What is happening to the European Union aquaculture production? Investigating its stagnation, species diversification, and sustainability. Aquaculture, 596, 741793. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741793">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741793</a>. Lijun, L., Anderson, J., Che, B., Chu, J., Garlock, T., Jingtao, X. 2025. Too Big to Be Sustainable? An analysis of China’s aquaculture sector in the three pillars of sustainability. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455403">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2455403</a>. Nielsen, R., Guillen, J., Llorente Garcia, I., Asche, F., Garlock, T., Kreiss, C.M, Novakovic, S.V., Danatskos, C., Cozzolino, M., Pokki, H., Kanakainen, M., Dennis, J., Jackson, E., Mytlewski, A., Kulikowski, T., Rakowski, M., Tveteras, R. 2025. An analysis of the European aquaculture industry using the Aquaculture Performance Indicators. Aquaculture Economics & Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2453747">https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2453747</a>. Marin, C., Asche, F., Garlock, T., Kristofersson, D.M., Lorenzen, K., Olugbenga, M.A., Yang, B. 2024. Does Seafood Trade Enhance Seafood Availability in Developing Countries? The case of Nigeria. Marine Policy, 161, 106030.  <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106030">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106030</a>.  Kumar, G., S. Hegde, J. van Senten, C. Engle, N. Boldt, M. Parker, K. Quagrainie, B. Posadas, F. Asche, M.M. Dey, S. Aarattuthodi, L.A. Roy, R. Grice, Q. Fong, M. Schwarz (2024) Economic Contribution of U.S. Aquaculture Farms. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. 55(6), e13091.