With increasing seafood demand and a declining capture in offshore fisheries, aquaculture is poised to become a major growth industry in the United States in the 21st century. In particular, channel catfish production currently represents a 260 million dollar industry in Mississippi with strong growth potential. A major portion of the costs associated with raising channel catfish is related to the cost of feed and aeration. These costs are directly related to the total number of fish being raised in each pond. Currently, a pond would have to be harvested to get an accurate inventory. An alternate technique, discussed here, is the use of a high frequency horizontally scanning sonar to size and count the fish in a pond. Commercial catfish ponds range in size 0.1 to 17.8 acres. The most desirable size is about 10 acres. These ponds will typically be about 100m in length and 1 to 2 m in depth.
