<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div>Fellow Aquatic Culturists,<div><br></div><div>Please do me, the Ohio Aquaculture Association, and our Ohio aquaculture and aquaponics industry, the favor of completing the following request. The 2018 Census of Aquaculture has been mailed out to Ohio aquaculture & aquaponics farms that exist in the current USDA database. <i style="font-weight:bold">If you received a form, please, please fill it out and return it. The new deadline date is now March 22, 2019 due to an extension granted to the industry because of the government shutdown. </i>With sales records in front of me, I filled out the survey in 20 minutes. Those selling multiple species will require just a few minutes extra.</div><div><br></div><div>If you did not receive a census, you can <i><b>request one</b></i> by contacting the USDA National Aquaculture Statistics Service at 1-888-424-7828. <b style="font-style:italic">Please do so!!!! </b>This includes operations who have never filled out a census. New farms are not in the USDA database but your data is nevertheless critical for assessing the status of aquaculture & aquaponics in Ohio! I'm really interested in seeing how the Census documents the rapid expansion of aquaponics in Ohio - can only be documented if aquaponics farms participate in the Census. </div><div><br></div><div>Fish farmers across the U.S. often express the following concerns as excuses for not participating.</div><div><br></div><div>1. "<i>Other federal agencies, especially the IRS, will have access to my data and cause me problems".</i> This simply cannot come to fruition. The data of the Census of Aquaculture is protected by federal law (Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113), preventing individual data being distributed to other agencies, requiring the USDA to keep all information confidential, and to use the data only for statistical purposes.</div><div><br></div><div>2. <i>"In some way, competitors will know my production data"</i>. Not the case. The same law referenced above requires the USDA to publish data in the aggregate and provide only summary statistics to prevent disclosing the identity of an individual producer or operation. When there are only several farms in a state growing a particular species or when one operation produces a large majority of that species, the census publication uses the notation "D" to avoid any inadvertent identification of an individual facility via deduction. </div><div><br></div><div>My top 3 reasons to participate:</div><div><br></div><div>1. Myself, the OAA, and the National Aquaculture Association can best advocate on your behalf from a position of strength. One metric of strength available via the Census of Aquaculture is the current status of U.S. and Ohio aquaculture and aquaponics industries. Obviously we want an expanding picture, so all producers need to participate. <i><b>If our advocacy position is weak, then others, including legislators, agencies, and NGO's, will promote rules and laws that in many cases may not be favorable to your farm. </b></i></div><div><br></div><div>2. Legislators use Census data when shaping policies and programs, and evaluating and determining government funding for aquatic culture. </div><div><br></div><div>3. University researchers, extension specialists, and administrators use the census data to justify funding and programs for research and extension programs to advance aquaculture and aquaponics production and profitability. </div><div><br></div><div><i><b>Again, please participate! If you don't, you are essentially handicapping not only our industry but your own farm. A strong industry position will help you. </b></i></div><div><br></div><div>Thank you.</div><div><br></div><div>Bill Lynch</div><div>President, OAA</div></div>
</div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><i><span style="color:rgb(118,165,175)"><span>Alycia Brehm<br></span></span></i></div><i><span style="color:rgb(118,165,175)"><span>OAA Program Assistant<br></span></span></i></div><i><span style="color:rgb(118,165,175)"><span>8120 Wesley Chapel Rd<br></span></span></i></div><i><span style="color:rgb(118,165,175)"><span>West Liberty, OH 43357<br>614-595-9308</span></span></i><br></div></div></div>