A distinguished team of authors has published, The Economic Contribution of Aquaculture to the U.S. Western Region, the first study of its kind to estimate the economic contribution of aquaculture to the 13 western states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture-designated Western Region (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) includes some of the top aquaculture-producing states in the country, with important clusters of shellfish, trout, White Sturgeon, and tilapia farms. The objective of this study was to estimate the total farm-level economic contributions (i.e., impacts) from aquaculture farms to the economy of the Western Region.

Farm-level observations of expenditures extracted from national surveys of catfish, salmonids, tilapia, and hybrid Striped Bass (White Bass × Striped Bass); a regional West Coast shellfish survey; and a survey of Alaskan shellfish growers were used to develop Impact Analysis for Planning models from which economic output, employment, and tax revenue were estimated.

Aquaculture farms in the Western Region make substantial direct, indirect, and induced economic contributions to the local economies where farms are located. The diverse species, production systems, and supply chains in the Western Region resulted in equally diverse expenditure patterns that contributed to a high percentage (96%) of regional economic sectors supported by aquaculture. Each dollar spent by an aquaculture farm generated an additional $0.90 in other economic activity, indicating that aquaculture farming businesses nearly double the total effect on rural economies where farms are located.

The economic contribution (impact) of aquaculture to the Western Region in 2022 was US$885.7 million, with a total economic output multiplier of 1.90. More than 6,000 jobs were supported, two-thirds of which were in direct employment, with an employment multiplier of 1.39. The total contribution of shellfish to the Western Region was $360.6 million, followed by $265.4 million from food fish sold to live markets, $217.9 million from food fish sold to processors, and $50.9 million from fish sold to recreational markets.

For additional information, please visit the Western Regional Aquaculture Center website to read or download and share fact sheets describing the species farmed in the region and state level economic impacts.