The development of Brazilian aquaculture: Introduced and native species

Brazil's aquaculture production has increased rapidly during the last two decades, growing from basically zero in the 1980s to over one half million (metric) tons in 2011. However, with an increased focus on the domestic market and native species, the development in Brazil has been very different from most other successful aquaculture producers, particularly in Latin America. As in many other countries, the development started with introduced international species such as shrimp and tilapia in a typical developing country fashion, but has shifted to an increasing share of native species and focus on the domestic market. This article analyzes the main aspects concerning this development by the relative productivity of the main species, regulations and markets. Regulations and the technology spreading from international species may be considered as important factors for this somewhat unusual development. The future prospects for the Brazilian aquaculture industry development are positive, since there is not only space available for expansion for both exotic and native species, but also an untapped domestic market.