Pictured above: Dr. Harry Daniels
January 2009
Europe and Japan are ahead of the United States when it comes to aquaculture with flounder, but we’re catching up, thanks in large measure to the work of scientists like Dr. Harry Daniels.
Daniels, professor of biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University, is working to demonstrate and make available to North Carolina commercial producers practical culture methods for producing fingerling and foodfish flounder. Indeed, in addition to research aimed at developing practical production methods, Daniels offers workshops on flounder production.
Daniels sees great promise for aquaculture with flounder in North Carolina. He points out the fish have a high market value – wholesale prices typically range from $5-$10 per pound for fresh flounder – and flounder grow well in fresh water.
Much of Daniels research is focused on supporting flounder aquaculture. He has succeeded in establishing a population of so-called XX male flounder to be use to produce all-female flounder fingerlings. Female flounder grow two to three times faster and reach maximum sizes that are four to five times greater than males, so the production of all-female fish would have a significant impact on the economics of production by decreasing growout times and improving feed conversion efficiency. Daniels’ research also established the first commercial-scale data on growout characteristics with a full economic analysis of the results. These accomplishments are fundamental steps in the commercialization of flounder culture and will lead to maximizing the economic viability of flounder farming. He also assisted in establishing the first private southern flounder hatchery in the U.S. Current annual production projections for this facility are around 100,000 pounds.
Flounder is a high-value aquaculture species with worldwide market appeal, while it can also be grown throughout a large geographic area, according to Daniels. He sees the potential for flounder aquaculture as equal or superior to that of the hybrid striped bass industry, which has enjoyed a growth rate of 20 percent per year for the past 10 years, along with an annual farm-gate value of more than $7 million in North Carolina. The economic potential of flounder farming in the United States could reach five-to-10 times the value of the hybrid striped bass industry within the next 10 years, Daniels says.
- Dave Caldwell
