Aquaculture is growing in Missouri.

Aquaculture, or fish farming, may be a newcomer in the United States, compared to the 4,000-year-old industries in Egypt and China, "but we're seeing more fish farming here," said Thomas T. Sallee, agricultural statistician for the Missouri Agriculture Statistical Services, at Columbia.

Catfish and trout are among aquaculture crops being raised on a number of farms, including 45 to 50 fish-farm operations in Missouri.

The Egyptians were successfully farming Nile carp more than 4,000 year ago, and the Chinese have been farm-raising carp for centuries.

Fish farming was introduced in the U.S. in the 1960s -- less than 50 years ago. In 1997, more than 525 million pounds of fish were raised on fish farms in the United States, with an economic value of almost a billion dollars. That's more than two times the farm fish production of a decade ago.

Getting Started in aquaculture, environmental and regulatory issues, and aquaculture marketing were among the topics for a two-day Missouri Aquaculture Association and annual meeting at the Holiday Inn Convention Center.

U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) statistics reveal that aquaculture is the fastest-growing segment of U.S. agriculture.

Catfish farming makes up more than 50 percent of the U.S. aquaculture industry and almost all of the fish farming in the Southeast Missouri area.

Kevin Flowers, president of the Missouri Aquaculture Association, and a catfish farmer from Dexter, was one of a number of speakers at opening day of the conference, discussing "Getting Started with a New Aquaculture Farm/Fingerling Production."

Flowers has been actively involved in his family's aquaculture enterprise since he was a youngster.

"We raise fingerlings to sell to the area's catfish farmers," said Flowers. "We have about 12 to 15 fish farmers in the immediate Southeast Missouri area."

When Kevin Flowers received his bachelor's degree in agriculture at Southeast Missouri State University, he joined his father in the fish farm operation.

Three years later, Kevin Flowers, Stan Flowers and Tim Flowers formed a partnership and expanded the existing aquaculture business. The partners recently purchased an additional fish farmer, bringing the total water acres of their farm to 450 acres.

Flowers Fish Farm LLC primarily produced channel cat fingerlings. But other species include hybrid bluebell, grass carp, fathead minnows, crappie and food-size catfish.

Kevin Flowers is active in the Missouri Aquaculture Coordinating Council and the Missouri Aquaculture Council.

Also appearing at Tuesday's session was Dan Selock of the Office of Economic and Regional Development at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, who discussed the cost of getting started in aquaculture.

Joseph J. Myers, aquaculture specialist with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, will discuss foodfish production in the Midwest today. A graduate of Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, Myers has a master's degree in zoology from Southern Illinois University, where he researched hybrid striped bass production.

Don Bell, executive director of the Oak Foothills Regional Planning Commission, will present a program on Missouri's aquaculture potential.

Bell recently completed a feasibility study on a proposed fish processing facility in the Ozarks Foothill Region.

The conference continues today, with topics on crayfish production in Missouri, sunfish and hybrid walleye, and largemouth bass production for live markets.

B. Ray Owen can be contacted at 335-6611, ext. 133, or by e-mail at rowen@semissourian.com