Midwestern fish farms face marketing, processing obstacles

Food costs are going up, and so is fish and seafood consumption in the U.S. That sounds like a good omen for Midwestern aquaculture farms, but "Many fish producers say they face challenges getting their produce to consumers in the region," reports Casey Smith  of The Associated Press.

Experts say the Midwest could be an aquaculture powerhouse, but the number of fish farms in the region fell from 336 to 271 over the past decade. "This could be because the region has historically relied on wild-caught seafood, said Amy Shambach, an aquaculture marketing outreach associate with the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Seafood produced in the Midwest also must compete with cheaper, imported seafood," Smith reports. Higher production costs might also be to blame. 

"Stagnant fish farming in the Midwest aquaculture industry has national implications, Shambach said. With global seafood consumption expected to increase by 100-170 billion pounds by 2030, the growing seafood trade deficit means more fish will need to be farm-raised, opening the door for Midwestern farmers to meet demand," Smith reports. There is plenty of local demand, restauranteurs say, but the lack of local fish processors is a problem, Smith reports.