Idaho Aquaculture commission sets goal to promote fish – "We need to think outside the pond."

After six months in business, the Idaho Aquaculture Commission has a clear mandate — to promote and protect the sale of aquaculture products.

Aquaculture is an industry that is not able to expand because of environmental and water challenges, Harold Johnson, vice-chair of the IAC, told fellow aquaculture producers during the Idaho Aquaculture Association’s annual meeting.

"We’re going to have to do it with value-added products and niche markets," Johnson said.

That’s where he said the Idaho Aquaculture Commission can help. Although Idaho is the largest producer of trout in the United States, it is still a relatively small industry — with just 40 to 45 million pounds of live weight and 22-25 million pounds of processed product produced each year.

By Cindy Snyder
Times-News correspondent

Full Story: http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2005/07/02/news_business/business.2.txt