World’s Largest Rainbow Trout Producer Earns BAP Certification

Congratulations to Clear Springs Foods, Inc. All of the U.S.-based company’s domestic rainbow trout farms recently attained Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in early June. It’s the world’s first rainbow trout farms to earn BAP certification.

Founded in 1966, Clear Springs Foods is the world’s largest freshwater rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) producer that uses raceways. It’s a vertically integrated company that proudly became employee owned in 2000.

South Central Idaho is home to Clear Springs Foods and thousands of natural springs generated by the Snake River Plain Aquifer — an immense underground reservoir sustained through recharge from snow melt. After filtering through lava rock, clean oxygenated water gushes from the Snake River canyon walls at a constant temperature of 58 degrees providing the perfect water source for rainbow trout production.

Clear Springs Foods produces a variety of fresh and frozen styles of rainbow trout including dressed, boned, and its market leading Clear•Cut® Natural and Butterfly boneless fillets. The company also markets a variety of value added products that include such species as Mahi Mahi, Swai and Cod. All products are marketed and sold to a variety of customers in the retail, foodservice and club store channels throughout North America. Clear Springs Foods will continue to assess customer needs regarding certification as the company is committed to continuous improvement.

“The BAP certification is validation of Clear Springs Foods’ long-term commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility,” said President and CEO Larry Cope.

The completion of the BAP finfish and crustacean farm standards in 2013 opened up the BAP certification program to a number of finfish and crustacean species not previously covered, including rainbow trout. Sea bass, sea bream, cobia, seriola, grouper, barramundi, perch, carp, flounder, turbot and striped bass are among the others.

About BAP
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain — farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills — that assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance. For more information on BAP, visit http://bap.gaalliance.org.