Census of Aquaculture

Description

The Census of Aquaculture expands on the data collected about aquaculture collected from the Census of Agriculture and provides a comprehensive picture of the aquaculture sector at the state and national levels. This census collects detailed information relating to production volume and methods, surface water acres and sources, sales, point of first sale outlets, and aquaculture distributed for restoration, conservation, enhancement, or recreational purposes.

Detailed Methodology

Sample

The purpose of a census is to enumerate all objects with a defined characteristic. For the census of aquaculture, that goal is to account for any farm or operation from which $1,000 or more of aquaculture products were produced and sold, or produced and distributed for restoration, conservation, enhancement, or recreational purposes during the census year.

Method of Data Collection

Survey (self- or interviewer-administered)

Frequency of Data Collection

Every five years

Reference Date

Last year/last 12 months

Number of Cases

Varies by year, approximately 3,500 cases

Number of Variables

Varies by year, approximately 700 variables

Linkage Capabilities

Linking at an operation level over time cannot be accomplished using the Census of Aquaculture data. E.g. the 2023 Aquaculture data cannot be linked to the 2018 Aquaculture data by operation. Operations responding to the Census of Aquaculture in one survey year can be linked to the Census of Agriculture data from the same Census cycle (e.g. the 2023 Aquaculture data can be linked to the 2022 Census of Agriculture data by operation). Linking Aquaculture data and Census data within the same Census cycle will result in many records that will not have a match due to reasons such as nonresponse and changes in operations.