Global demand for seafood is projected to increase by 70 percent in the next 30 years, and harvests from capture fisheries are stable or declining.
A consensus is growing that a dramatic increase in aquaculture is needed to supply future aquatic food needs. In cooperation with our land-grant university partners and diverse stakeholders, NIFA provides leadership and funding for aquaculture research, technology development and Extension programs.
The current NIFA aquaculture research and extension base is highly diverse in terms of funding mechanisms, areas of research, and species cultured. NIFA also provides leadership, on behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture, to facilitate the coordination of all federal programs in aquaculture. This is done through the Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture, which reports to the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Office of the Science Advisor to the President.
NIFA's funding of scientific and technology transfer goals to support development of a globally competitive U.S. aquaculture industry includes:
- Improving the efficiency of U.S. aquaculture production.
- Improving aquaculture production systems.
- Improving the sustainability and environmental compatibility of aquaculture production.
- Ensuring and improving the quality, safety, and variety of aquaculture products for consumers.
- Improving the marketing of U.S. aquaculture products.
- Improving information dissemination, technology transfer, and access to global information and technology in aquaculture.
RELATED INTERGOVERNMENTAL WORKING GROUPS
- Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification (IWG-OA)
- Interagency Working Group on Kelp and Seagrass Farming
RELATED HATCH MULTISTATE COMMITTEES
- NECC1901: Integrating Genomics and Breeding for Improved Aquaculture Production and Molluscan Shellfish
- W4004: Marketing, Trade, and Management of Aquaculture and Fishery Resources
- NC1189: Understanding and managing scale and connectivity in inland and marine fisheries as coupled human and natural systems
- NECC2202: Formal Structure for the Minor Use Animal Drug Program