The greatest demand for US soy use in aquaculture rests in the China freshwater industry, which produces 63% of global aquaculture.

 

Estimates show the Chinese aquaculture industry uses up to 6.5 million tonnes, or the equivalent of 280 million bushels of soy.

 

Soymeal takes to the lakes, rivers and seas, as well as the barns and feedlots, as the prominent poultry and livestock feed grows in popularity in fish and shrimp diets as well.

 

The growing demand for commercially raised aquatic products presents significant opportunity for soy-based aquaculture feeds for fish and shrimp species.

 

“The amount of soymeal used for aquaculture in China exceeds the soy production of Indiana. “The soy checkoff continues to work to expand the aquaculture industries in other areas, such as Southeast Asia, Central America and the Middle East,” says Joe Meyer, United Soybean Board (USB) director and a soy farmer from Williamsburg, Ind.

 

Soy-based feeds and production technologies developed in China and through collaborative research with the soy checkoff are currently being used in 18 countries.