The State Aquaculture Development Plan, established in 1995, lays the groundwork for the orderly development of the aquaculture industry in New Jersey. The New Jersey Aquaculture Development Act, which is based on the recommendations made in the Plan, was signed into law in 1997. The ocean's resources are finite and can sustain only fixed harvests while the demand for quality fish and seafood continues to climb. To meet this increased demand, commercial fishermen and others in the seafood industry must develop new sources of seafood products. Aquaculture is one way to supplement the wild harvest.
Aquaculture includes restocking the ocean through fingerling programs or open ocean mariculture.
A common element is the effort to improve the natural processes of the environment to achieve greater yields of fish and seafood to meet growing consumer demands. According to a recent survey conducted by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, aquaculture operations in New Jersey currently employ approximately 90 full time and 81 part-time employees. The primary focus of aquaculture in New Jersey is the hard clam. Culture of hard clams has more than doubled in recent years from 11,000 bushels in 1990 to 25,900 bushels in 1992. Hard clam aquaculture operations produced the equivalent of 25 percent of the state's 1992 hard clam capture harvest and the percentage continue to increase.