Fish Farming in California

Rainbow trout farms are located throughout the state and are one of California's oldest fish crops. Farms are associated with artesian springs and clean primary or secondary water supplies. Trout eggs and live trout are the primary products of trout farms. Salmon species including Atlantic, coho and chinook are being developed for broodstock, egg production and live fish markets.

Sturgeon are farmed and sold primarily as processed 12 to 16 pound fish to high-end restaurants. Sturgeon are also processed for caviar. Striped bass are farmed to mitigate the losses of native stocks in the Sacramento Delta due to environmental degradation by industry. They are also sold to fee-fishing concerns and to restaurants.

Catfish do not require as stringent water quality standards as other finfish and are grown throughout the state, primarily in the Central Valley, Imperial Valley and Coachella Valley in Southern California. Most channel catfish are sold live as either foodstock or for stocking recreation lakes that provide fee fishing.

Oysters have been farmed in California since the 1850s, making them the oldest farmed shellfish in California. They are grown in sheltered bays including Humboldt, Drake's, Tomales, Morro and San Diego.

The only farming of abalone in the United States occurs in California. Seed abalone are grown in land-based facilities, and larger abalone are grown in sheltered marine environments. Abalone culture in California dates back to 1940, with commercial development beginning in 1964. The red abalone is the primary species that is farmed.

Various other species are farmed in California for the ornamental fish trade, for pet food or bait and for human consumption. Foodstock species include yellowtail, tilapia, crayfish, clams, scallops, mussels, and fresh and saltwater shrimp. Ornamental species include goldfish and koi. Bait species include marine worms and minnows.