Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies

Aquaculture

The aquaculture industry is engaged in the raising and production of plants or animals in either a controlled farm environment or selected aquatic environments. Finfish farming includes catfish, trout, pet fish, and other types of fish. Aquaculture production also includes shellfish farming, such as oysters, crayfish, and others, and aquatic plant farming. Marine aquaculture refers to species that live in the ocean and can take place in the ocean or on land. Freshwater aquaculture produces species that are native to freshwater streams, lakes, and rivers. Freshwater aquaculture primarily takes place in ponds and in land based systems¹.

U.S. aquaculture production was 608 million pounds with a value of $1.33 billion in 2014. Freshwater production in the U.S. is primarily includes catfish, crayfish, and trout. Marine aquaculture in the U.S. primarily includes Atlantic salmon, oysters, clams, and mussels².

Workers in aquaculture may be exposed to a variety of hazards on the job. Aquaculture workers use not only waterborne vessels in the course of their jobs, but also tractors or other all-terrain vehicles that have their own unique hazards. Extreme temperatures, bacterial pathogens, heavy lifting, repetitive motions, chemical exposures, hazardous machinery, and use of a variety of vehicles all contribute to the risk of injury or illness in these workers.

In 2014, there were approximately 6,500 workers³ employed in the aquaculture industry. These workers suffer fatal injuries at a rate of 12 per 100,000⁴. Additionally, occupational injuries and illnesses occur in this worker population at a rate of 5481 per 100,000 that is more than 6 times the rate of injury/illness among all U.S. workers⁵.

References

1. NOAA [2017] What is Aquaculture? Silver Spring, MD: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries.  http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/what_is_aquaculture.html
2. NMFS [2015] Fisheries of the United States, 2014, By Lowther A, Liddel M. National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology, https://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/commercial-fisheries/fus/fus14/index
3. BLS [2016] NAICS 1125 Aquaculture, all US, all ownerships, 2006 – 2016. In Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Washington DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://data.bls.gov/cew/apps/data_views/data_views.htm#tab=Tables
4. BLS [2016] NAICS 1125 Aquaculture, all US, all ownerships 2011 – 2014. In Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Washington DC, Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/data/#injuries
5. BLS [2016] Table 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry and case types, 2011-2014. In Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. Washington DC, Bureau of Labor Statistics., https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum.htm