The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is pleased to contribute to the public consultation on the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Draft Aquaculture Ratings Methodology Handbook. According to the United Kingdom-based conservation organization, the handbook provides in-depth discussion of how MCS assesses the environmental performance of various aquaculture production methods. It is aimed at MCS assessors and
Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) is among the third-party aquaculture certification programs referenced in a new web tool developed by the United Kingdom’s Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) to guide anyone sourcing seafood, whether in the United Kingdom or abroad. Launched early this year, Seafish’s Aquaculture Profiles are designed to be objective and non-bias. It currently
The Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) program is currently beta testing a blockchain traceability application that will be made available to BAP-certified facilities. Members of the BAP information technology team recently visited Kauai Shrimp’s processing plant and farm in Hawaii which are currently in the iBAP improver program. These facilities were selected for the beta test
When asked about seafood sustainability, what comes to mind? Environmental responsibility? Social responsibility? Animal welfare? While all three are pillars of seafood sustainability, there’s a fourth pillar that, unfortunately, is often left out of the equation — food safety. Food safety refers to the handling, preparing and storing of food in a way that reduces the
June 8th is World Oceans Day, a global day of celebration and collaboration established to create a better future for the world’s oceans. The oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. They cover nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s surface and contain 97% of the world’s water. They also produce half of the oxygen in the
With nearly 300 certified facilities added so far this year, the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program is on target to grow approximately 33 percent in 2018, in terms of total number of certified facilities worldwide. At the end of May, there were 2,062 BAP-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills in 34
Kingfish Zeeland has been awarded Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, the world’s first seriola farm to earn the distinction, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in early June. It’s also the world’s first recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to earn BAP certification. Located in Holland’s Zeeland province, Kingfish Zeeland raises yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi), also known as
Buy with confidence. Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) is the world’s only aquaculture certification program that covers the entire production chain (hatcheries, feed mills, farms and processing plants). BAP also has the most comprehensive standards, which cover environmental responsibility, social responsibility, food safety and animal health and welfare. The BAP program is endorsed by retailers
Once again this year, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) exhibited at Seafood Expo Global (SEG) in Brussels, Belgium.
Editor’s note: The following is in response to a report questioning the validity of sustainability certification programs. Crafted by the Changing Markets Foundation, the May 3 report, titled “The False Promise of Certification,” does not cite the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices third-party certification program. The “The False Promise of Certification” report is built on
For the last six quarters, the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program has used a third-party crowdsourcing firm to perform in-store audits of BAP products in retail stores across the United States, Canada and Mexico as part of its logo policing program. This includes answering specific questions about each product regarding country of origin,
Thirty-four tilapia farms in Hainan, China, recently earned Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification. The Fishin’ Company, a leading tilapia supplier that is capable of offering four-star BAP tilapia, sponsored the farms to apply for BAP certification. “This is an exciting milestone in the industry’s journey toward worldwide four-star BAP tilapia” said Justin Baugh, director of
GSA’s Seafood Processing Standards are now available for public comment, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced on May 2. The 60-day public comment period ends on July 1. The GSA Seafood Processing Standards are the first and only seafood-specific processing plants standards for both farmed and wild seafood. Based on the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Seafood
As leaders of promoting responsible seafood sourcing policies in the Chinese market, JD.com announced a commitment to Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) during Seafood Expo Global in Brussels on April 25. E-commerce platforms in China, like JD.com, are among the leaders in the marketplace for setting responsible seafood sourcing policies. In 2017, JD.com and the Global
The Global Aquaculture Alliance is pleased to announce that Luckyfish Co. of Turkey is the world’s first company eligible to offer four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Mediterranean sea bass and sea bream. The announcement came on Day 1 of Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium, as Mike Berthet, BAP market development manager for Europe, presented
New Zealand King Salmon is now eligible to offer four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) salmon following the certification of its largest feed supplier, Skretting, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in early April. Four stars is the highest designation in the BAP third-party certification program, indicating that a product originates from a BAP-certified processing plant, farm,
As part of their capstone project for the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Information Systems and Business Analytics (ISBA) program, five students are working to analyze data from the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) supply chain transparency program. BAP collects production volume data from certified facilities and trading volumes from distributors and retailers around the globe
Once again this year, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is exhibiting at Seafood Expo Global (SEG) in Brussels, Belgium, with a number of activities on the docket, including a big announcement. Held at the Brussels Exhibition Centre, SEG is the world’s largest seafood exposition. Last year, the three-day event drew more than 28,500 seafood professionals