Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries

NAICS 112511 (Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries) encompasses commercial operations focused on the controlled breeding, rearing, and production of finfish in managed aquatic environments. These operations include fish hatcheries, fish farms, and facilities dedicated to raising various species of fish for commercial, conservation, recreational, and research purposes. The category involves breeding, feeding, monitoring, and releasing fish into natural or managed waterways, with a primary emphasis on species like salmon, trout, catfish, and other freshwater and marine fish.

Federal contract awards in this NAICS category demonstrate consistent engagement from agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and Department of Agriculture. Contract values range from $2,000 to $2,019,695, with typical performance periods spanning several months to multiple years. Frequently awarded entities include state fish and wildlife departments (such as Washington and Oregon), tribal organizations like the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and specialized firms like Northwest Marine Technology, Inc. and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Most awards are firm fixed-price purchase orders or delivery orders, with no set-aside designations being most common, though some total small business set-asides are observed.

Recent federal contract opportunities focus on specific fish production and stocking requirements. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has solicited proposals for multiple initiatives, including a Willamette River Basin Trout Production contract to release up to 277,000 pounds of rainbow trout and multiple solicitations for stocking certified triploid grass carp in Georgia lakes. These opportunities typically request precise fish specifications, such as specific length ranges, certification requirements, and delivery locations. The solicitations are predominantly full and open competitions under NAICS 112511, with a small business size standard of $3.75 million, and utilize lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) evaluation processes.