By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new project that combines the number two crop in Ohio with the increased interest in aquaculture could lead to the development of new, local agricultural markets.

Ohio State University aquaculturists at OSU’s South Centers in Piketon are exploring the possibilities of using soybeans as an alternative to fishmeal. Researchers in Piketon are testing the soybean meal on yellow perch because the species is the top aquaculture species in Ohio and the state ranks first in the nation in the number of pounds of yellow perch sold.

“The aquaculture industry demands 25 percent of the global fishmeal supply and 36 percent of the global fish oil supply,” said Han-Ping Wang, director of the Ohio Aquaculture Research and Development Integration Program, and the university’s principal investigator. “But fishmeal production is decreasing because of the decline of ocean fish used to make the product. As a result, we see a great potential for us to use soybeans as a replacement due to its high protein content. If successful, soy-based fishmeal and soybean oil would be an answer to declining fishmeal production.”
This project is supported by a one-year, $50,000 Ohio Soybean Council grant, with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center providing a $50,000 match in funds.

Wang noted that 54 out of 358 cultured fish species are fed diets containing soybean meal or soy products. And with roughly 1,000 more fish under evaluation as new aquaculture species, there are many opportunities to research and evaluate soybeans as a viable fish food.

Wang said his project objectives are a four-part effort.

“First, we want to determine if genetically-improved yellow perch reared on soybean meal-based diets perform just as well as those on fish meal diets, and whether sufficient genetic variation exists for selective breeding,” Wang said.

Second step, he said, was to determine if soybean meal-based diets are suitable for sportfin shiners, a popular baitfish. Researchers are trying to develop Ohio’s baitfish industry to be more economical and efficient. Ohio ranks fourth in the nation in sales of baitfish, with the sportfin shiner as the baitfish of choice in the study. They hope the sportfin shiner can be an alternative to the emerald shiner, a common Lake Erie baitfish.

Third, Wang and his associates want to develop and implement educational programs and promotional materials designed to promote the growth of the acquaculture industry in Ohio.

Finally, Wang wants to disseminate the information to Ohio fish farmers. Next spring, they plan to organize a bus tour to multiple aquaculture operations in Ohio to educate soybean and fish farmers on incorporating an agricultural product into the aquaculture industry.

Such aquaculture research is nothing new to those in Indiana.
“We in Indiana have been at this quite a while,” said Megan Kuhn, communications director with the Indiana Soybean Alliance. “We’ve been raising species that will use fish meal and all this eventually means more money for the farmer. There’s a real positive return on investment here. We’ve been formulating more soy diets for fish, and right now there’s not a lot of fishmeal on the market.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics show that Ohio has 140 fish farms and the state’s aquaculture industry has increased the past decade, from $1.8 million in 1997 to $6.6 million in 2007.

Other states in the Farm World readership area (number of farms with revenue from aquaculture) include Kentucky (81 farms, $2.7 million), Michigan (87 farms, $5.7 million), Illinois (54 farms, $4 million), Tennessee (106 farms, $4.9 million) and Indiana (31 farms, $2.5 million).

“It’s all about including soybeans in the fish’s diet and this will increase a market for the soybeans,” Kuhn said, “and that’s good news for the farmer.”