This is the sixth in a series of consumer guides that describe fish and shellfish farmed in the Midwest region of the United States. (See Walleye Farmed Fish Fact Sheet, Yellow Perch Farmed Fish Fact Sheet, Tilapia Farmed Fish Fact Sheet, Rainbow Trout Farmed Fish Fact Sheet, and Pacific White Shrimp Farmed Fish Fact Sheet). The fact sheet also includes culinary characteristics, cooking tips and a recipe for Zesty Grilled Paddlefish.

References:

1. National Audubon Society. 2002. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fishes. Chanticleer Press, Inc.
2. Stickney, R.R. 1996. Aquaculture in the United States, A Historical Survey. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 372.
3. Zhang, H., Jarić, I., Roberts, D.L., He, Y., Du, H., Wu, J., Wang, C., and Wei, Q. 2020. Extinction of one of the world’s largest freshwater fishes: Lessons for conserving the endangered Yangtze fauna. Science of The Total Environment, 710, 136242. Available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136242.
4. Herring, J. L., & Mims, S. D. (2015). Paddlefish Food Products. In Paddlefish Aquaculture (pp. 179-208). Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
5. Dasgupta, S., Onders, R.J., Gunderson, D.T. and Mims, S.D. (2004), Methylmercury Concentrations Found in Wild and Farm-raised Paddlefish. Journal of Food Science, 69: fct122-fct125.

The brochure is an overview of what a fish producer thinking about small-scale fish processing needs to know. The overview includes training requirements, available facilities and highlights of select farmers who have gone through the process.

Small-scale aquaculture producers have income opportunities if they plan their production processes—and plan them well. One of the fundamental principles in marketing is to make it part of the overall planning process. Consider marketing decisions as important as production decisions. No matter how small your aquaculture operation, developing a marketing plan for what you will produce is the best strategy, because the fish have to be sold once they reach marketable sizes.