U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Aquaculture
[Running time:  ~ 1:53]

Welcome to “Focus on Ag Research” from the Agricultural Research Service or ARS.  ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency.

If you are planning to adopt a healthier lifestyle this year, adding seafood to your diet is a good place to start.

In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, recommends eating about 8 ounces of seafood a week, and most of us are only getting about 4 to 5.

One of the problems here is that about 90 percent of the seafood we eat is imported, and the seas can only yield so much fish. The amount of wild caught fish that we eat has stayed at about the same level since the 1980s. 

This presents a huge opportunity – and even a need – to produce more farm-raised seafood here in the United States. That’s why ARS scientists around the country are looking for better ways to produce seafood to meet our dietary needs.

ARS scientists are developing new technologies to make fish farms more productive and sustainable, and to make farm-raised fish healthier. Their goal is to increase the availability of a nutritious – and important – source of protein for all of us. 

ARS scientists have a long history of giving people healthier options when it comes to their diets.  

To learn more about ARS research, visit AgResearch magazine at www.agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov.  

That’s our podcast for today.  Thanks for listening.