____

____

1. Poor water quality?

____

____

2. Fish disease and parasites?

____

____

3. Poachers and vandals?

____

____

4. Potential chemical contamination?

____

____

5. Business management and taxation?

____

____

1. Are there large volumes of high-quality water?

____

____

2. Is the water quality suitable?

____

____

4. Are there established markets?

____

____

5. Do you have appropriate management skills and time?

____

____

1. Are you willing to work long hard and irregular hours (e.g., 16 hours/day, 7 days/week)?

____

____

2. Do you get along well and communicate effectively with people? (Small producers not only grow fish or shellfish, they must also promote and market themselves and their product.)

____

____

3. Are you comfortable with mathematical problem-solving and mechanical troubleshooting?

____

____

4. Will you seek help when needed?

____

____

5. Do you personally have the technical expertise with fish or shellfish to manage the operation?

____

____

6. Can you afford to hire an experienced technician?

____

____

7. Do you know others in the business that will provide help or information?

____

____

8. Does your state have an aquaculture association that you can join?

____

____

9. Do you receive aquaculture periodicals?

____

____

10. Are you willing to take a course in aquaculture or attend "how to" workshops to become informed of current practices and new developments?

____

____

1. Have you developed a realistic written business plan with monthly objectives and projected cash flows for the first year and annually for each of the next three to five years?

____

____

2. Do you own or have access to property needed for the proposed aquaculture operation?

____

____

3. Have you determined expenses for construction or improvement of the aquaculture site?

____

____

4. Do you own or have access to most of the necessary equipment (e.g., pumps, nets, tanks, aerators, boats, predator control devices)?

____

____

5. Can you secure the capital for start-up and operation at a reasonable cost?

____

____

6. Will your lender accommodate your production/marketing cycle (which differs from traditional livestock or row crops)?

____

____

7. Is the profit potential for aquaculture higher than that of other possible investments?

____

____

8. Will the expected profit be adequate compensation for your labor and resources?

____

____

9. Can you afford to wait 6 to 18 or more months for income until your first crop attains marketable size and can be sold?

____

____

10. Do you have an adequate cash reserve for unanticipated rests (e.g., equipment failure, system modification, crop losses)?

____

____

1. Have you assessed the existing situation (e.g., market size and demands, potential competitors) and determined an area where you can compete effectively?

____

____

2. Have you identified primary and alternate markets?

____

____

3. Do you know in what form you will market your product (e.g., alive, dressed fillets)?

____

____

4. Can you continuously harvest and market your product throughout much or all of the year?

____

____

5. Do you have the means to harvest handle hold and transport your product?

____

____

6. If desirable, can you join or form an aquaculture cooperative?

____

____

7. Are you familiar with legal issues of marketing your product?

____

____

8. Do you have the resources to construct and operate a Health Department- approved facility if fish will be processed (e.g., dressed, filleted)?

Yes   

No

____   

____   

1. Is there an established market for your fish?

____   

____   

2. Is there a market for your fish when you plan to sell them?

____   

____   

3. Will fish be available year-round if so required by the market?

____   

____   

4. Are other fish products available at prices lower than your profitable selling price that will out-compete you in the market?

____   

____   

5. Do you have an alternative marketing strategy on which to fall back?

Yes   

No

____   

____   

1. Do you have enough water to raise the fish you would like to grow?

____   

____   

2. Do you have water of the quality necessary to raise the fish you would like to grow?

____   

____   

3. Does the land have appropriate topography for the construction of ponds or raceways?

____   

____   

4. Will the soil hold water?

____   

____   

5. Is the area protected from flooding?

____   

____   

6. Can you build a water retention area to remove fish wastes?

____   

____   

8. Do you live close enough to the site to allow frequent and timely observations of the fish?

____   

____   

9. Is the site easily accessible year round for you and transport trucks?

Yes   

No

____   

____   

1. Is the proposed culture site an unrestricted area (e.g., not a right-of-way or wetland)?

____   

____   

2. Is the prospective culture site located near the market and processing facilities?

____   

____   

3. Is the proposed site suitable for aquaculture (e.g., there is no history of pesticide use in the area, the topography and soil type are appropriate for economic construction, gas and power lines will not interfere with construction or operation, you have all-weather access to your culture operation)?

____   

____   

4. Can the site be made suitable for aquaculture production with an acceptable amount of investment?

____   

____   

5. Is the site sufficiently large for expansion if desired in the future?

____   

____   

6. Have you explored the advantages and disadvantages of leasing vs. ownership?

____   

____   

7. Do you live close enough to the culture site to visit and monitor as needed, and to ensure security?

____   

____   

8. Is the system designed and constructed specifically for aquaculture (vs. recreation, aesthetics, irrigation, etc.)?

____   

____   

9. Is an adequate supply of high-quality water available and suitable for aquaculture production?

____   

____   

10. Will water quality and quantity remain suitable for continuous production (e.g., the possibility is low that your shellfish lease will be closed due to water degradation, flooding is not a problem)?

____   

____   

11. Can you control water to, from, and within your system (e.g., can you drain and fill ponds when needed, bypass a raceway, or adjust water flow when treatments are needed)?

____   

____   

12. Can you effectively manage wastes produced by your operation?

____   

____   

13. Can you prevent wild fish, birds and other predators, diseases, and parasites from entering or impacting your system?

____   

____   

14. Can you treat diseases and parasites that may infect your fish?

____   

____   

15. Is an economical and dependable electricity source available?

Yes   

No

____   

____   

1. Will your neighbors and other user groups (e.g., recreational, commercial fisheries) accept the aquaculture operation (the operation will not interfere or be perceived to interfere with their interests)?

____   

____   

2. Have you discussed your planned operation with the appropriate state agency(ies) and your local Cooperative or Sea Grant Extension Educator?

____   

____   

3. Have you identified the permits required to construct and operate an aquaculture operation?

____   

____   

4. Can the required permits be obtained without excessive investment of money, time, and effort?

____   

____   

5. Can you obtain permits for an extended time and not have to renew them frequently (i.e. could you improve a site and then lose access to it)?

Yes   

No

____   

____   

1. Are eggs or fingerlings available from local dealers at competitive prices?

____   

____   

2. Can you raise your fish from eggs to produce your own fingerlings?

____   

____   

3. Are high-quality fish feeds readily available at competitive prices?

____   

____   

4. Do you have a suitable area to store feeds?

____   

____   

5. Do you have a source of the drugs and chemicals needed?

____   

____   

6. Is dependable labor available?

____   

____   

7. Are dependable diagnostic services available locally?

____   

____   

8. Are you aware of universities, government agencies, or professional fish culturists that can provide you with educational and technical services?

____   

____   

9. Have you determined what species you want to culture, and do you know its biology?

____   

____   

10. Have you explored the different production technologies available and identified one that satisfies your interests and resources?

____   

____   

11. Do you have the resources (financial, technical, and spatial) needed to maintain and spawn adults, incubate eggs, and rear juveniles?

____   

____   

12. Are dependable sources of fingerling finfish or shellfish seed locally available?

____   

____   

13. Can feed and other essential supplies (e.g. chemicals, antibiotics, algae) be obtained locally, quickly, and at a reasonable price?

____   

____   

14. Are suitable back-up systems available (e.g. electrical outages, pump failure, oxygen depletions)?

____   

____   

15. Are disease diagnostic services and dependable technical assistance readily available?

____   

____   

16. Do you have access to a dependable workforce for physical labor?

____   

____   

17. Do you have appropriate predator control, including human poaching?

____   

____   

18. Do you have adequate dry space to store essential supplies (e.g. feed, drugs, chemicals) and equipment (e.g. seines, pumps, generator)?