A Joint Publication of

VOL. IX NO. 1 http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua August, 2000

IN MEMORIUM - O. Eugene Maughan

We are dedicating this issue of the Arid Lands Aquaculture Newsletter to Dr. Maughan. Gene was one of the most important figures in aquaculture in Arizona and made his presence felt through the large number of students who have been active in the state. Dr. Maughan recently succumbed to the cancer he had been battling for many months. During that time he continued to work and assist students and his contributions will be remembered in both aquaculture and fisheries.

Gene's contributions were especially important to the minority and female students he encouraged to join this field. Dr. Maughan's career with the US Fish and Wildlife Service took him all over the US and we were especially lucky to have him working with us as the leader of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit here at the University of Arizona.

Gene had a number of important publications in aquaculture and fisheries journals. He was a critical supporter of research in integrated systems using water for fish and irrigation of field crops. Multiple-use of water will be critical to the success of arid lands aquaculture and an important source of food in the future.

Gene worked with a large number of students. He was especially proud of his foreign and Native American students. This made for a great multi-cultural exchange amongst the students and faculty.

Gene 's family was most important. He treated the students as part of that family and we are all lucky to know his wife and children.

Aquaculture operations in Arizona produced approximately 1,449,000 lbs of whole fish and shrimp in 1999. These products had a farm gate value of $3,345,000. Poundage of aquaculture products has actually decreased slightly in recent years, reflecting the shift from lower value species such as tilapia and catfish to the higher valued shrimp. The three shrimp farms in the Gila Bend - Hyder Valley continue to make great progress. Production in 1999 reached 217,000 lbs with a farm gate value of over $1,000,000. In just a few years these farms have managed to become the single most valuable aquaculture crop in the state. Production of the Pacific white shrimp, Peneaus vannemei, in the slightly brackish geothermal water in southwestern Arizona may prove to be one of the best uses of this overlooked resource.

Aquatic Nuisance Species - Zebra mussels were recently found on two boats at the Lake Pleasant Marina. Alertness on the part of the marina manager probably saved us from a major environmental problem. Continued education and awareness of the problem will be needed if we hope to continue dodging this bullet.

The news is not so good on the Giant Salvinia case. After controlling the nuisance plant for several months in the Palo Verde Irrigation District near Blythe, a lack of funding and personnel for several weeks allowed the population to explode this spring. Plants quickly spread and were found as far downstream as the All America Canal and the Imperial Diversion Dam. Increased efforts by Palo Verde and other irrigation districts with support from the Bureau of Reclamation, have slowed the spread. More efforts will be needed to get this plant under control and keep it from further spreading.

AZG&F - New Crayfish Regulations - A new series of rules for crayfish capture, possession and use in the state have been developed. The proposed rules are intended to increase the catch of crayfish, which are unwanted exotic introductions, but restrict their spread.

R12-4-316. Possession, Transportation, and Importation of Live Baitfish, Crayfish, and Waterdogs: The rule will be amended to prohibit the transportation of live crayfish for use as bait in Arizona. However, fishermen will continue to be allowed to use live crayfish as bait in the same waters where captured.

R12-4-313. Lawful Methods of Taking Aquatic Wildlife; Restrictions: The rule will be amended to liberalize methods of take for crayfish, increasing the potential for the take of crayfish for bait (to be used as bait at the site of capture) or human consumption.

R12-4-406. Restricted Live Wildlife: The rule will be amended to make it unlawful to possess live freshwater crayfish without a special license or permit. This will prohibit the sale of crayfish as pets and prevent the intentional or accidental introduction of non-native crayfish into Arizona waters through the disposal of unwanted pets.

R12-4-407. Exemptions from Special License Requirements for Restricted Live Wildlife: The rule will be amended to allow continued importation and purchase of live crayfish for restaurant and food market trade. Furthermore, it will allow persons already possessing crayfish prior to the rule change, either as pets or in private waters, to keep the crayfish without special licensure.

EPA Effluent Regulations - The EPA has announced their intention to introduce new regulations pertaining to aquaculture effluents. The intent is to develop national standards that will apply to various sectors of production aquaculture. Preliminary standards will be developed and presented for public comment in the summer of 2002. The public comments will be reviewed and final regulations will be developed and put into action in summer of 2004. The growth of the aquaculture industry nation-wide has brought aquaculture into the category with cattle, poultry and hogs as a significant impact on water quality. Kevin Fitzsimmons and Dennis McIntosh have been invited to serve on a Federal Task Force to provide guidance to EPA regarding the development of these regulations.

In his recent (May/June 2000) research report to Aquaculture Magazine, Dr. James W. Avault, Jr. (Professor Emeritus of the Aquaculture Research Station, Louisiana State University) cited a few of the 400 reports that were presented at the Aquaculture 2000 meetings in New Orleans. Amongst the projects detailed was the work of Drs. G. B. Brooks, Jr. and O. E. Maughan of the University of Arizona. Their project discussed an apparent positive relationship between the distribution of freshwater prawns in a pond and the presence of shadow.

Minor Animal Species Health and Welfare Act (HR 4780) - This legislation was recently introduced in Congress to provide an opportunity for improved drug availability for aquaculture and other small livestock industries. The high cost of getting drugs approved for use by fish farmers has resulted in a very short list of only five drugs currently available to treat aquaculture diseases. This act will simplify the procedures needed to get label extensions on drugs already approved for other livestock species. To insure consumer safety, large and expensive studies are required to prove that drugs are safe, effective and not a threat to the environment. However, the current regulations require that these tests be repeated for each new species to be treated. Obviously, this can be prohibitively expensive for the drug company when they want to extend the label to a new species which may only generate a few thousand dollars in sales per year. By simplifying the rules and allowing existing research to be applied to the label extension for a new species, the costs can be reduced. The extensions would allow aquaculture producers to use these compounds without having to go through the process for each individual species. The National Aquaculture Association and the American Tilapia Association have joined with other aquaculture groups, sheep, goat, rabbit, ostrich and several other livestock groups to support the legislation. The Food and Drug Administration, the agency responsible for approving the label extensions and enforcing the regulations, is in favor of simplifying and reducing the regulations on these minor species. Others in favor of the legislation include the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the Animal Health Institute. Aquaculture producers who would like to make sure this legislation is passed should contact their representatives and request their support for HR 4780.

Aquaculture Career Development Events -State FFA Field Day - The aquaculture competition was held March 10 of 2000. Eight high schools competed and we had a great group of students who impressed all of the faculty involved with their skills and knowledge of aquaculture. The University looks forward to hosting these and additional teams next year on March 9, 2001. The event will again be held at the Environmental Research Lab.

Grants - Arizona Game and Fish - Heritage Grants AZG&F uses money from the State Lottery to support grants that support a variety of wildlife and fisheries projects. Call 602-789-3530 for details on how to apply.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program - SARE provides invites proposals for research and education to increase knowledge on integrated systems of plants and animal production practices having a site-specific and regional application. See website

Back issues - of this newsletter are available on the World Wide Web at http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/arizona.html

Sept. 3-7, 2000 Fifth International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture - Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL American Tilapia Association

Sept. 24-26, 2000 West Coast Seafood Show

March 9, 2001 Aquaculture Career Development Event FFA-University of Arizona will be held at the Environmental Research Lab. All high schools with aquaculture programs are invited to participate.

Aug. 19-23, 2001 American Fisheries Society, 131^st National Meeting, Crown Plaza Hotel, Phoenix, AZ

Jan. 2002, US Aquaculture Meetings, San Diego, CA

May 5-10, 2002, World Aquaculture Meetings, Beijing, CHINA World Aquaculture Society