Aquaculture Stimulus

 The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is distributing funds to eligible aquaculture producers that suffered losses associated with high feed costs during the 2008 calendar year, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Recovery Act provided $50 million for a 2008 Aquaculture Grant Program and  Idaho’s share to distribute to the aquaculture industry is $1,252,541. Producers must have experienced at least a 25% increase in feed costs in 2008 over the previous five-year average and feed costs must exceed 25% of their total operating costs.  Eligible aquaculture producers must complete a grant application and submit it to ISDA along with required documentation by July 31, 2009. 

ISDA’s Laura Johnson defines eligible producers. “They have to have raised an aquaculture species in a controlled environment. So in Idaho that would mean a fish farm. In Idaho the species we’re looking at are predominantly trout, but also tilapia, sturgeon, catfish, ornamental fish, such as coy, if they’re being farm raised, and even bullfrogs.

Grant applications are available on the ISDA website at  www.agri.idaho.gov