Aquaculture
The main production centers for the state are below the Interstate - 4 freeze line. Estimates put
80% of the industry in Hillsborough County. Disaster plans are not written but each farmer has plans on what to
do - although a checklist may be advantageous. The main concerns of all the different type farming operations is
to maintain electricity to the pumps, to lower water levels for the outdoor ponds, to secure plastic pond coverings,
and to manage infections caused by the stress of severe temperature changes.
In Florida, there are two associations for aquaculture: the Florida Aquaculture Association
(http://www.flaa.org/);
the Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association
(http://www.ftffa.com/),
and the one national association, the National Aquaculture Association (http://www.nationalaquaculture.org/)
that could be used to get disaster preparation information to the farming operations.
The Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory's website is at:
http://fishweb.ifas.ufl.edu/.
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