Congratulations to Ecuador’s SONGA (Sociedad Nacional de Galapagos C.A.), which is now eligible to offer four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) shrimp, only the second company in Ecuador capable of doing so, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in late February. Four star is the highest designation in the BAP third-party certification program, signifying that a product
China has embraced the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program since the release of the BAP tilapia farm standards in 2008 and the certification of the first farm (Elite Aquaculture Co. Ltd. in Guangxi Province, China) in 2009. There are more than 70 BAP-certified tilapia farms in China, with an additional 60 BAP-certified tilapia processing
Please join the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices division in welcoming the world’s first BAP-certified crawfish facility to the third-party certification program, the organization announced in mid-February. The Xuzhou Jinjiangfoodstuffs Co. Ltd. processing plant has attained BAP certification. Established in 2004 and located in Pizhou City, Jiangsu, China, the facility processes cooked crawfish tail
Congratulations to Íslandsbleikja, Iceland’s first processing plant to attain Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in early February. Íslandsbleikja is also the world’s first Arctic charr facility — processing plant, farm or hatchery — to earn BAP certification. The processing plant — located in Grindavík, on the southwest coast of Iceland —
The pangasius industry finds itself in the media spotlight, and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) wishes to take the opportunity to set the record straight on a number of issues. Pangasius can be produced responsibly and to rigorous food-safety standards and therefore can be purchased with confidence on these grounds. Pangasius producers certified to Best
The number of Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified facilities continues to grow, falling one facility shy of the 1,600 mark at the end of January. Fifty-one facilities joined the BAP third-party aquaculture certification program in January, bringing the total to 1,599 BAP-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills worldwide, the Global Aquaculture Alliance has announced. The
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is heightening its presence at Seafood Expo North America (SENA) this year, as the organization celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2017. SENA — North America’s largest seafood trade show, with more than 1,000 exhibiting companies from 40-plus countries — takes place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) in
The Global Aquaculture Alliance has strengthened its presence in China through a cooperative agreement with the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA) to open an office in the Jing’an District of Shanghai, the organization has announced. The partnership with CAPPMA represents the next step in GAA’s efforts to advance responsible aquaculture in China
Please join the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) in welcoming Devan Meserve, GAA’s new digital marketing coordinator, to the organization. As GAA’s digital marketing coordinator, which is a new position, Meserve will be responsible for social media, content generation and SEO (search engine optimization), developing and executing a strategy for GAA’s pre-competitive activities, including membership, the
The number of Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified facilities jumped 47 percent in 2016, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced on Feb. 6. The third-party aquaculture certification program ended 2016 with 1,559 BAP-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills, up from 1,058 BAP-certified facilities at the end of 2015. The BAP program has more than doubled
The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) division invites new auditor candidates and returning auditors requiring refresher training to attend a BAP auditor training course in Shanghai, China, from April 2 to 8, 2017. The course is also open to industry observers, including government officials, producers and other industry stakeholders who wish to learn
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is upgrading its online presence significantly with the rollout of a new software system featuring an online portal that will allow processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills to apply for Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification and re-certification online. The online portal will also allow users of GAA’s websites to
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is pleased to announce that Chris Trosin is joining GAA as vice president of business development for GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) division. Mr. Trosin’s first day is Jan. 3, and he is working out of GAA’s Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, office. He has 10 years of seafood experience and
The Best Aquaculture Practices’ iBAP program is approaching its two-year anniversary. The iBAP program was launched in January 2015 to provide aquaculture facilities with the opportunity to be recognized by the marketplace as they work to improve their production practices. Once the plan is executed, the facilities can apply for BAP certification. In 2016, 229 facilities
The Global Aquaculture Alliance would like to weigh in on the Dec. 15 Bloomberg Businessweek article “How Antibiotic-Tainted Seafood From China Ends Up on Your Table.” The article failed to address the progress that’s been made in preventing the abuse of antibiotics in aquaculture via third-party certification programs like GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices and therefore
A group of 65 tilapia farms in Hainan, China, has enrolled in the iBAP program, becoming the first group of tilapia farms to do so. The Fishin’ Company, a leading tilapia supplier that is capable of offering four-star BAP tilapia, is sponsoring the farmers’ participation in iBAP, which is a precursor to full BAP certification.
Sagro Aquaculture Ltd. has enrolled its sea bream hatchery in Cyprus in the iBAP program, becoming the world’s first sea bream facility as well as the world’s first Mediterranean facility to do so. Launched in early 2015, the iBAP program is designed to provide assistance and encouragement to aquaculture facilities interested in pursuing BAP certification.
It’s official. The number of Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified facilities has surpassed the 1,500 mark, with the addition of 67 new facilities to the third-party aquaculture certification program last month. At the end of November, there were a total of 1,527 BAP-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills worldwide, the Global Aquaculture Alliance has