Browsing by Author "Engle, Carole"

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    Cost of regulations on US catfish farms
    Hegde, Shraddha; Kumar, Ganesh; Engle, Carole; van Senten, Jonathan (Wiley, 2022-07-14)
    Understanding the economic effects of regulations on US aquaculture farms provides insights into which compliance costs create the greatest compliance burden on farms. This can further guide strategies to improve the efficiency of regulatory frameworks and potentially reduce on-farm compliance costs while maintaining adequate oversight. This study estimated the regulatory compliance burden on US catfish farms as part of a national effort to quantify the cost of regulations on US aquaculture farms. Completed survey interviews of catfish farms in the major catfish-producing states covered 63% of the total US catfish production area. Total regulatory costs of the US catfish industry were estimated at $45 million annually. Lost farm revenues (measured as the value of lost production, the value of markets lost from regulations, and the value of business opportunities lost because of regulations) were estimated to be $35 million per annum. Catfish-producing states outside the Alabama/Arkansas/Mississippi region had the highest ($2856/ha) and Alabama the lowest ($1127/ha) regulatory costs per hectare among the surveyed states. The greatest regulatory cost burden on catfish farms ($18 million) was caused by environmental regulations related mostly to the management of federally protected piscivorous migratory birds, followed by labor regulations ($12 million), and taxes/insurance ($7 million). Regulatory costs ($/kg) were 2.6 times higher on smaller (<80 ha) farms relative to larger (>300 ha) farms. Attention is needed to identify alternative regulatory frameworks that provide the same degree of regulatory oversight but are more cost-efficient.
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    Farm-Level Cost Drivers of Salmonid Fish Health Inspections
    Engle, Carole; van Senten, Jonathan; Schwarz, Michael H.; Hartman, Kathleen; Gustafson, Lori; Johnson, Kamina; Creekmore, Lynn (2021-10-22)
    Regulatory costs on aquaculture farms have been shown to be of a magnitude that warrants additional analysis. The drivers of farm-level costs of fish health inspections were identified in this study from national survey data on U.S. salmonid farms. The greatest costs identified were related primarily to state fish health requirements for inspection and testing to certify that fish are free of specific pathogens prior to approval of necessary permits to sell and/or transport animals. Fish health inspection costs included laboratory testing, farm personnel time, veterinary fees, and shipping samples to laboratories, with laboratory testing and the value of farm personnel time being the most expensive components. Principal cost drivers were the number of tests and whether required sampling was farmwide or for each lot as identified by the collector. Farmers who primarily sold into recreational markets had greater fish health costs than farmers who primarily sold food fish because of the greater numbers of species and size-/age-classes of salmonids on their farms. Regulatory requirements to test all species and size-/age-classes on farms increased inspection costs by increasing the total number of tests, the total value of fish sacrificed, and shipping costs. Consequently, for farms with more than one species or more than one size-/age-class, annual farm-level testing was less costly than annual lot-based testing. Increased numbers of tests in a given year, although reported by only a few respondents, can increase costs dramatically and turn profitable farms unprofitable, even food fish farms. Smaller salmonid farms experienced disproportionately greater inspection cost burdens than did larger farms. The fish health inspection scenario of only one annual inspection of only the most susceptible species and size-/age-class showed a cost burden that did not generate economic distress, even on smaller salmonid farms. Other scenarios modeled (based on survey data) that included lot-based surveys of multiple species and size-/age-classes resulted in substantially greater fish health inspection costs that led to unprofitability for various farm sizes and business types. Study results suggest that implementing Comprehensive Aquaculture Health Program Standards might allow for risk- and pathogen-based reductions in the total number of inspections and fish sampled while maintaining equivalent or greater health status compared to current methods. American Fisheries Society-Fish Health Section Blue Book inspection methods are interpreted and applied inconsistently across states and generally yield lot- rather than farm-level health attestations because the history of testing results, risk assessment, and biosecurity practices are not typically taken into account. The cost effects of alternative fish health sampling and testing requirements should be considered in decisions and policy on fish health regulation.
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    Seafood Purchasing Behavior in the U.S. during the Early Recovery Period from the COVID-19 Pandemic
    Uzmanoglu, Mustafa Selcuk; Hegde, Shraddha; Engle, Carole; van Senten, Jonathan; Kumar, Ganesh; Dey, Madan (MDPI, 2024-09-03)
    This study examined seafood consumption during the early period of economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, surveys of U.S. consumers compared seafood purchasing behavior of the first two quarters of 2021 (Q1, 1 January through 31 March 2021, and Q2, 1 April through 30 June 2021) with those of 2020. Each survey included 100 seafood consumer respondents in each of the 20 U.S. metropolitan market areas. Following data cleaning, there were 1885 valid responses for Q1-2021 and 1940 for Q2-2021. A majority (57%) of respondents had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before March 2021 and 70% had received at least one dose as of June 2021. Regardless of vaccination status, few respondents (6% to 9.5% for food generally and 4% to 6.5% for seafood) reported changes in seafood consumption. Seafood consumption away from home increased significantly in Q1-2021 as compared to 2020 and continued to increase but to a lesser degree in Q2-2021. Demographic differences were found in shopping behaviors by age, education, income, and gender, but not by ethnic group. Generally, higher-income females with higher education tended to purchase more seafood. Respondents reported increased numbers of shopping trips per year in Q1-2021 as compared to 2020, which continued into Q2-2021 for general food, but shopping trips for seafood decreased as compared to 2020. The frequency of takeout purchases (times/year) of prepared meals for home consumption of seafood decreased during Q1 from 2020 and remained at that level in Q2-2021, but home delivery purchases of prepared meals of seafood increased during this period. Approximately 50–55% of respondents reported no change in overall seafood consumption levels, while 28% noted an increase in seafood consumption compared to pre-pandemic periods, a significant increase from the 19% who had reported doing so pre-pandemic. In contrast, those reporting a decrease declined from 31% to 17% in comparison to pre-pandemic levels. Seafood consumption in the U.S. remained stable and recovered in early 2021, with a preference for dining out. Consumer behaviors varied by age, income, education, and gender, but not by ethnicity. These changes were primarily driven by access, availability, and income, indicating the need for further research on long-term consumption patterns. This study found apparent stability of seafood consumption by U.S. consumers, which recovered from pandemic consumption levels in early 2021, and there was little change in seafood consumption, frequency, or the types of seafood consumed. Vaccination status did not appear to affect seafood consumption.
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    Technological progress in the US catfish industry
    Hegde, Shraddha; Kumar, Ganesh; Engle, Carole; Hanson, Terry; Roy, Luke A.; Cheatham, Morgan; Avery, Jimmy; Aarattuthodiyil, Suja; van Senten, Jonathan; Johnson, Jeff; Wise, David; Dahl, Sunni; Dorman, Larry; Peterman, Mark (Wiley, 2022-04)
    The US catfish industry has undergone significant technological advancements in an attempt to achieve cost efficiencies. This study monitored the progress of the adoption of alternative and complementary technologies in the US catfish industry. A 2019-2020 multi-state in-person survey in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi (n = 68), revealed increased adoption of intensively aerated ponds (6,315 ha) and split ponds (1,176 ha). The adoption of alternative, more intensive, production practices has been accompanied by increased adoption of complementary technologies of fixed-paddlewheel aeration, automated oxygen monitors, and hybrid catfish. As a result, the average aeration rate in the tristate region has increased to 7.8 kW/ha with 97% of catfish farms adopting automated oxygen monitors. About 53% of the water surface area in the tristate region was used for hybrid catfish production. Fingerling producers have also adopted a feed-based, oral vaccine against Enteric Septicemia of Catfish, with 83% of the fingerling farms and 73% of the fingerling production area vaccinated against ESC in 2020. Increased adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies in the US catfish industry explains the 59% increase in foodfish productivity from 2010 to 2019. Monitoring the progress of adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies will guide researchers and Extension personnel involved in the refinement and dissemination of these technologies.