The two A states in the South, Alabama and Arkansas, kick off our state aquaculture spotlight portion of our series on Aquaculture in the Southern United States. Alabama and Arkansas together contribute about 9% of all Southern aquaculture, with 102 and 55 farms, respectively. Catfish farming reigns supreme in Alabama, accounting for approximately 50% of all farms in Alabama. Baitfish farming is very popular in Arkansas, and the Arkansas baitfish industry provides over 60% of the baitfish in the United States. Let us take a quick dive into both of these A states!
Alabama Aquaculture
Just like the Song of US States we learned in grade school, we start off our state spotlights with Alabama. Alabama, especially West Alabama, is known for its catfish farms. In 1960, a small channel catfish hatchery opened up in Greensboro, Alabama, and helped jump-start the commercial catfish farming industry.
Environmental and economic factors have favored Alabama’s success, including a warm climate, suitable topography, abundant rain, low energy costs, and proximity to Auburn University’s fisheries expertise. The channel catfish is hardy and adaptable, making it ideal for farming. The STRAL Company, founded by Chester Stephens, Richard True, and Bryant Allen, was pivotal in developing catfish farming. They used methods from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers and opened the first successful hatchery.
Catfish Harvest – Alabama Extension
The industry faced early challenges, including market oversupply, high feed costs, and disease outbreaks. Technological advancements, such as the paddle-wheel aerator and improved feed, helped address these issues. The establishment of the Alabama Fish Farming Center in 1985 provided essential research and support. The industry also formed marketing associations and legislative measures to combat predators and imported competition.
Down on the coastline, oyster farming is the major contributor to marine aquaculture. In Bayou Le Batre, Point Aux Pins started oyster farming in 2009. Recognized as one of the first pioneer oyster farms in Alabama, Steve and Dema Crockett opened their farm to interested oyster farmers (in fact, it was the first oyster farm I visited). The Crockett’s farm and business, eventually joined by the McClure family, were dedicated to producing off-bottom oysters for upscale restaurants and raw bars around the United States. To this day, they are credited with helping grow and spread oyster aquaculture across the Gulf.
Working an Oyster Farm – Chris Verlinde
Auburn University and their extension program has played a vital role in supporting aquaculture development in Alabama. Currently, Auburn has a lab on Dauphin Island dedicated to oyster aquaculture, an inland shrimp farm in Gulf Shores dedicated to shrimp & pompano aquaculture, and the E.W. Shell Fisheries Center, located just north of campus, dedicated to freshwater aquaculture, catfish genetics, and pond management.
Auburn Students Weighing Farm-Raised Catfish – Auburn Fisheries
The Claude Peteet Mariculture Center, located in Gulf Shores, plays a vital role in marine aquaculture research and production. It features a hatchery used to raise species such as red drum, pompano, and flounder, and earthen ponds to grow out red drum and pompano. The center also conducts research on broodstock management.
| Alabama Aquaculture | ||||||
| Category | 2017 Farms | 2017 Value* | 2023 Farms | 2023 Value* | +/- Farms | +/- Value |
| Catfish | 141 | $ 115,781 | 89 | $ 100,571 | -52 | -$15,210 |
| Trout | 1 | (D) | 1 | (D) | 0 | (D) |
| Other Food Fish | 14 | $ 138 | 14 | $ 116 | 0 | -$22 |
| Baitfish | 2 | (D) | 1 | (D) | -1 | (D) |
| Crustaceans | 10 | $ 1,260 | 3 | $ 1,623 | -7 | $363 |
| Mollusks | 8 | (D) | 10 | $ 992 | 2 | (D) |
| Ornamental Fish | 6 | $ 5 | 2 | (D) | -4 | (D) |
| Sport/Gamefish | 38 | $ 3,644 | 40 | $ 4,776 | 2 | $1,132 |
| Other Aquaculture | 13 | (D) | 16 | $ 1,231 | 3 | (D) |
| Total | 233 | $ 120,828 | 176 | $ 109,309 | -57 | -$11,519 |
*x $1,000
Arkansas Aquaculture
Arkansas is the birthplace of warm-water aquaculture in the United States, with the first commercial goldfish farms established in the 1940s. Since then, the industry has expanded to produce more than 20 species of fish and crustaceans, serving food markets, recreational fishing, the aquarium trade, water gardening, and aquatic weed or parasite control.
The state ranks second nationally in aquaculture production and leads the country in baitfish, largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass fry, and Chinese carp. It also ranks third in catfish production. Lonoke and Monroe counties are home to the world’s largest baitfish, goldfish, largemouth bass, and hybrid striped bass farms. By the mid-2000s, Arkansas farms were selling more than six billion baitfish annually, shipped nationwide and internationally.
Golden Shiner Minnows – Jeremy Trimpey
Catfish farming began in the 1950s and remains a cornerstone of the industry, with major economic impact in counties such as Chicot. However, baitfish aquaculture is the biggest industry in Arkansas, producing about 61% of the nation’s cultured baitfish value. Each year, six billion minnows (primarily golden shiners, fathead minnows, and goldfish) are raised on Arkansas farms and shipped nationwide. With an annual farm-gate value of roughly $23 million and a six- to seven-fold economic impact, the industry supports local economies in counties such as Lonoke, Prairie, and Monroe.
Before farming, most baitfish were harvested from the wild, often leading to ecological risks like accidental transfer of invasive species. Farm-raised baitfish, however, provide a renewable, healthy, and consistent supply. Arkansas became the hub of the industry due to favorable soils, climate, water, transportation, and pioneering farmers who developed production methods with support from the Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center. The baitfish industry generates jobs, supports feed mills, supply companies, and live-hauling businesses, and has adopted best management practices to conserve water, ensure biosecurity, and provide sustainable “Quality Bait from the Natural State.”
In addition to large-scale farms, Arkansas has hundreds of thousands of farm ponds managed for livestock water, wildlife, and recreational fishing. Stocking combinations of bass, bluegill, and catfish are common, with populations managed to sustain healthy fisheries.
Aquaculture is especially important in the Arkansas Delta, a region challenged by poverty and unemployment. Fish farms often serve as major local employers and generate demand for supporting businesses such as equipment suppliers, tradespeople, and transport services. Today, aquaculture ranks among Arkansas’s top ten agricultural industries, blending economic significance with ecological and recreational benefits.
UAPB Students With a Fresh Catfish Harvest – UAPB
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is the only university in Arkansas that has an aquaculture program, and is home to the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence, a research and extension center that is dedicated to aquaculture research and dissemination of problem-solving information.
| Arkansas Aquaculture | ||||||
| Category | 2017 Farms | 2017 Value* | 2023 Farms | 2023 Value* | +/- Farms | +/- Value |
| Catfish | 41 | $ 25,484 | 34 | $ 30,188 | -7 | $ 4,704 |
| Trout | 5 | $ 2,717 | 5 | $ 2,965 | 0 | $ 248 |
| Other Food Fish | 6 | $ 10 | 1 | (D) | -5 | (D) |
| Baitfish | 47 | $ 26,530 | 37 | $ 29,172 | -10 | $ 2,642 |
| Crustaceans | 2 | (D) | 12 | $ 301 | 10 | (D) |
| Mollusks | 1 | (D) | 1 | (D) | 0 | (D) |
| Ornamental Fish | 4 | (D) | 3 | (D) | -1 | (D) |
| Sport/Gamefish | 24 | $ 15,947 | 27 | $ 20,177 | 3 | $ 4,230 |
| Other Aquaculture | 4 | $ 122 | 7 | $ 137 | 3 | $ 15 |
| Total | 134 | $ 70,810 | 127 | $ 82,940 | -7 | $ 12,130 |
*x $1,000
Up Next – Florida and Georgia!
References
https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/catfish-industry/
https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/coastal-programs/oysters-in-alabama/
https://alaquaculture.com/state/
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/baitfish-industry-3641/
https://uapb.edu/academics/safhs/department-of-aquaculture-fisheries/aqfi-center-of-excellence/
https://agriculture.arkansas.gov/plant-industries/regulatory-section/aquaculture/
- Aquaculture in the Southern United States: Part 2 – Alabama & Arkansas - August 25, 2025
- Aquaculture in the Southern United States: Part 1 – Introduction - August 17, 2025
- Aquaculture 101: Aquaculture in The USA - May 12, 2025