Aquaculture

Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the breeding, rearing and harvesting of fish, shellfish, plants, algae, and other organisms in fresh or salt water. 

The Oregon Aquaculture Explorer Platform is designed to assist investors, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders with investment decisions for new or expanded sustainable aquaculture ventures in Oregon.

Oregon aquaculture farms raise oysters, clams, tilapia, hybrid striped bass, sturgeon, salmon, trout, ornamental fish, seaweeds and algae on land and in the estuary.

Explore map data layers and create a site suitability or financial report to help with the choice of two production systems and three species.

Learn about Oregon's estuaries and the permitting considerations when setting up a new shellfish lease or expanding an existing operation.

Articles & Stories

This 2-page article provides a summary of aquaculture in Oregon. This was written for the launch...
Introduction Like any agriculture production system, sturgeon recirculating systems requires...
Introduction Like any agriculture production system, tilapia recirculating systems...
Introduction Hybrid striped bass (HSB) are a cross between the freshwater white bass and the...

Maps and Tools

Use the Oregon Aquaculture Map Viewer to explore map layers, create a site suitability report, or... more

Data Collections

The Oregon Spatial Data Library... more

About This Topic

Development of the Oregon Aquaculture Explorer Platform is a collaboration among:

OSU Libraries and Press: OSU Libraries and Press engages with the OSU community and the people of Oregon in their pursuit of knowledge. The OSULP partnership with the Institute for Natural Resources supports delivery of information and services related to the protection and management of Oregon's vitally important natural resources through the Oregon Explorer natural resources digital library.

Institute for Natural Resources: The Institute for Natural Resources provides Oregonians with ready access to current, relevant science-based information, methods, and tools for better understanding natural resource management challenges and developing solutions. INR co-manages the Oregon Explorer with OSULP.

Oregon Aquaculture Association (OAA): The aim of the Oregon Aquaculture Association (OAA) is to mobilize investment and diversify production to bring responsible aquaculture into the group of agricultural enterprises that makes meaningful economic contributions to the State and her citizenry.

Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD): The Oregon Dept. of Land Conservation and Development supports the creation and implementation of comprehensive plans that reflect and balance the statewide planning goals, the vision of citizens, and the interests of local, state, federal and tribal governments.

Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA): The Oregon Department of Agriculture evaluates shellfish areas and licenses shellfish growers, harvesters, dealers and processors. ODA also has specialists who can help small producers or processors. 

Oregon Sea Grant: Oregon Sea Grant promotes innovative aquaculture research that benefits aquaculture growers and regulators. Through outreach, these results are shared with the general public and with aquaculture stakeholders, including public policy makers and entrepreneurs.

Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES): The Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station conducts interdisciplinary research to improve the utilization and conservation of marine resources. Aquaculture research is a core research program including breeding, genetics, disease, bioeconomics, management, and market analysis.   

Funding:

In July 2019 OAA received a High Impact Opportunity Project (HIOPS) grant funded through Business Oregon (OBDD) to develop a set of web-based tools to assist investors, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in navigating questions concerning investing in new or expanded sustainable aquaculture ventures.  Project was funded in part with Oregon State Lottery funds administered by OBDD. Phase 1 of the Oregon Aquaculture Explorer Platform was developed with this grant. Additional funds for the Shellfish Mariculture tool were provided by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.  The Oregon Aquaculture Explorer Platform was officially launched on December 20, 2021. Then in February 2021, OSU received a 3-year grant from NOAA-Sea Grant to fund phase 2.  These funds will be targeted towards expansion of the financial planning tool to incorporate additional investment models that include species that live in oceans or estuaries and promote use in the classroom.