Aquaculture water use is water associated with raising organisms that live in water—such as finfish and shellfish—for food, restoration, conservation, or sport. Aquaculture production occurs under controlled feeding, sanitation, and harvesting procedures primarily in ponds, flowthrough raceways, and, to a lesser extent, cages, net pens, and closed-recirculation tanks.
••• WATER USE HOME • TOTAL WATER USE • SURFACE WATER USE • GROUNDWATER USE • TRENDS •••
Public Supply • Domestic • Irrigation • Thermoelectric Power • Industrial • Mining • Livestock • Aquaculture
2015 Water Use
(source: Dieter, C.A., Maupin, M.A., Caldwell, R.R., Harris, M.A., Ivahnenko, T.I., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2018, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1441, 65 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1441.)
Total withdrawals for aquaculture during 2015 were 7,550 Mgal/d, about 79 percent from surface water. Much of the surface water was used for flowthrough raceways and was returned to the source after use. Aquaculture withdrawals were 2 percent of total withdrawals for 2015.
| State | Percentage of total withdrawals |
Cumulative percentage of total withdrawals |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 26% | 26% |
| North Carolina | 13% | 39% |
| California | 10% | 49% |
| Oregon | 8% | 57% |
| Louisiana | 7% | 64% |
Aquaculture withdrawals decreased 16 percent between 2010 and 2015.
Data sources
Some estimates of aquaculture withdrawals are derived from State permits that report water withdrawals or return flows for aquaculture facilities. The USEPA Permit Compliance System database also is a source of return-flow data that are used to estimate water withdrawals. State regulatory agencies, State offices of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and Cooperative Extension Service offices also provide information used to estimate aquaculture withdrawals in some States. Many of the 2015 withdrawals for aquaculture were estimated according to methods described by Lovelace (2009), using aquaculture data compiled for the NASS Census of Aquaculture with standardized water-use coefficients and water-replacement rates. The data included statistics for various aquacultured species and aquaculture ponds, raceways, tanks, egg incubators, pens, and cages at commercial and non-commercial aquaculture operations.
Category history
- 1985: Water use for fish farming included in Livestock
- 1990-1995: Water use was reported in Animal Specialties (fish farming) and Commercial (fish hatcheries)
- 2000 and later: Aquaculture
Below are links for other categories of water use.
Water Use in the United States
Public Supply Water Use
Domestic Water Use
Irrigation Water Use
Thermoelectric Power Water Use
Industrial Water Use
Mining Water Use
Livestock Water Use
- Overview
Aquaculture water use is water associated with raising organisms that live in water—such as finfish and shellfish—for food, restoration, conservation, or sport. Aquaculture production occurs under controlled feeding, sanitation, and harvesting procedures primarily in ponds, flowthrough raceways, and, to a lesser extent, cages, net pens, and closed-recirculation tanks.
••• WATER USE HOME • TOTAL WATER USE • SURFACE WATER USE • GROUNDWATER USE • TRENDS •••
Public Supply • Domestic • Irrigation • Thermoelectric Power • Industrial • Mining • Livestock • Aquaculture
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Paul Wilson guides a basket containing 2,000 pounds of catfish into a transport truck (Credit: Stephen Ausmus, ARS-USDA) 2015 Water Use
(source: Dieter, C.A., Maupin, M.A., Caldwell, R.R., Harris, M.A., Ivahnenko, T.I., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2018, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1441, 65 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1441.)
Total withdrawals for aquaculture during 2015 were 7,550 Mgal/d, about 79 percent from surface water. Much of the surface water was used for flowthrough raceways and was returned to the source after use. Aquaculture withdrawals were 2 percent of total withdrawals for 2015.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Aquaculture withdrawals, top States, 2015
[percentages calculated from unrounded values]State Percentage of
total withdrawalsCumulative percentage
of total withdrawalsIdaho 26% 26% North Carolina 13% 39% California 10% 49% Oregon 8% 57% Louisiana 7% 64% Aquaculture withdrawals decreased 16 percent between 2010 and 2015.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Aquaculture water withdrawals, 1985-2015 Data sources
Some estimates of aquaculture withdrawals are derived from State permits that report water withdrawals or return flows for aquaculture facilities. The USEPA Permit Compliance System database also is a source of return-flow data that are used to estimate water withdrawals. State regulatory agencies, State offices of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and Cooperative Extension Service offices also provide information used to estimate aquaculture withdrawals in some States. Many of the 2015 withdrawals for aquaculture were estimated according to methods described by Lovelace (2009), using aquaculture data compiled for the NASS Census of Aquaculture with standardized water-use coefficients and water-replacement rates. The data included statistics for various aquacultured species and aquaculture ponds, raceways, tanks, egg incubators, pens, and cages at commercial and non-commercial aquaculture operations.
Category history
- 1985: Water use for fish farming included in Livestock
- 1990-1995: Water use was reported in Animal Specialties (fish farming) and Commercial (fish hatcheries)
- 2000 and later: Aquaculture
- Science
Below are links for other categories of water use.
Water Use in the United States
Water use estimates for 2000 through 2020 are now available for the three largest categories of use in the United States: self-supplied thermoelectric power generation, self-supplied irrigation, and public supply. Five additional categories of use (self-supplied industrial, domestic, mining, livestock, and aquaculture) will be available in 2025.Public Supply Water Use
Public supply refers to water withdrawn by public and private water suppliers that provide water to at least 25 people or have a minimum of 15 connections. Public-supply water is delivered to users for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. Part of the total is used for public services, such as public pools, parks, firefighting, water and wastewater treatment, and municipal buildings, and...Domestic Water Use
Domestic water use includes indoor and outdoor uses at residences, and includes uses such as drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, flushing toilets, watering lawns and gardens, and maintaining pools. Domestic water use includes potable and non-potable water provided to households by a public water supplier (domestic deliveries) and self-supplied water use. Self-supplied...Irrigation Water Use
Irrigation water use includes water that is applied by an irrigation system to sustain plant growth in agricultural and horticultural practices. Irrigation also includes water that is used for pre-irrigation, frost protection, chemical application, weed control, field preparation, crop cooling, harvesting, dust suppression, and leaching salts from the root zone. Estimates of irrigation withdrawals...Thermoelectric Power Water Use
Water for thermoelectric power is used in the process of generating electricity with steam-driven turbine generators. Since 2000, thermoelectric-power withdrawals have been compiled by cooling-system type. Once-through cooling refers to cooling systems in which water is circulated through heat exchangers, and then returned to the source. Recirculating cooling refers to cooling systems in which...Industrial Water Use
Industrial withdrawals provide water for such purposes as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product; incorporating water into a product; or for sanitation needs within the manufacturing facility. Some industries that use large amounts of water produce such commodities as food, paper, chemicals, refined petroleum, or primary metals. Water for industrial use may...Mining Water Use
Mining water use is water used for the extraction of minerals that may be in the form of solids, such as coal, iron, sand, and gravel; liquids, such as crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. The category includes quarrying, milling of mined materials, injection of water for secondary oil recovery or for unconventional oil and gas recovery (such as hydraulic fracturing), and other...Livestock Water Use
Livestock water use is water associated with livestock watering, feedlots, dairy operations, and other on-farm needs. Livestock includes dairy cows and heifers, beef cattle and calves, sheep and lambs, goats, hogs and pigs, horses, and poultry. Other livestock water uses include cooling of facilities for the animals and products, dairy sanitation and wash down of facilities, animal waste-disposal... - Publications