One of Hanson's studies concluded that mallard ducklings survived at noticeably lower rates when raised in wetlands used for fish rearing. Yet aquaculture has undeniably aided anglers and fish. Mike Freeze, a director for the National Aquaculture Association and co-owner of Keo Fish Farm in Keo, Arkansas, notes that Arkansas leads the nation in baitfish production with 30,000 acres of bait ponds. Nearly 85 percent of all farmed baitfish are raised here. But if these millions of fathead minnows, shiners, and chubs weren't farm raised, they'd be netted out of lakes and rivers, reducing available forage for gamefish.
Ocean fish benefit from aquaculture, too.
McGonigle says the Maine Aquaculture Association gives away farm-raised salmon to anglers who catch and release wild salmon. Over 400 fish have been distributed since the program began in the mid-1990s. He also argues that abundant, cheap farm salmon reduces the demand for, and fishing pressure on, wild salmon. Today, wild populations of striped bass have rebounded enough to allow limited commercial fishing. Stocking Up U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs, in conjunction with the states, helped stock over 160 million fish during fiscal year 1998.