Aquaculture Dialogues

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Aquaculture Dialogues

• Katherine Bostick, WWF
• Aquaculture Standards Workshop
• February 25, 2009

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WWF and Aquaculture

• Focus on aquaculture began with shrimp
• Studied impacts and realized they could be
  reduced
• Evolved into multi-stakeholder development of
  performance-based, voluntary standards
• An aquaculture eco-label should cover a suite of
  species

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Why Create Standards?

• Minimize aquacultures impact on

• Society

• Environment

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Goal of the Aquaculture Dialogues

• Create standards for environmentally and socially
  responsible aquaculture

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Standards will encourage innovation
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Standards to be created for 12 species
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Standards to be created for 12 species
Oysters
Clams, Cockles Arkshells
Mussels
Production (metric tons x millions)
Production (metric tons x millions)
Production (metric tons x millions)
Scallops
Seriola/cobia Aquaculture Dialogue in
development
Production (metric tons x millions)
Source FAO FishStat Aquaculture Production
Quantities 1950-2005 and Capture Production
1950-2005
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Dialogue Process

• Effective and meaningful stakeholder
  participation
• Clear and balanced governance
• Consensus oriented
• Transparent
• ISEAL compliant

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Dialogue Standards

• Science-based
• Explicitly target key environmental and social
  impacts of production
• Performance-based standards can measurably reduce
  key impacts against a baseline
• Encourages innovation by using metrics
• Doablebased on achievable performance levels and
  integrated with current data collection where
  possible

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Dialogue Road Map

• Impact The problem we want to minimize
• Principle The guiding principle for addressing
  the impact
• Criteria The area to focus on to address the
  impact
• Indicator What to measure in order to determine
  the extent of the impact
• Standard The number and/or performance level to
  reach to determine if the impact is being
  minimized

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Mollusc Aquaculture Dialogue Status

• 8 Meetings
• 3 Regional Advisory Commitees formed
• Global Steering Committee formed and scheduled to
  meet in April 2009
• Ideas generated for principles, criteria, and
  indicatorsdraft to be formalized by Steering
  Committee
• For more information contact Coordinator Colin
  Brannen colin.brannen_at_wwfus.org

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Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue

• Technical Working Group reports on 6 impacts
• Final draft principles developed
• Revised draft criteria to be discussed in Boston
• Indicators brainstormed, formal draft to be
  developed by scientists

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Get involved

• www.worldwildlife.org/aquadialogues
• aquacultureinfo_at_wwfus.org
• www.worldwildlife.org/salmondialogue
• katherine.bostick_at_wwfus.org

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Home for Dialogue Standards
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• Aquaculture Stewardship Council

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WWFs Experience with Certification Programs

• Rainforest Marketing 1980s
• Forest Stewardship Council 1990s
• Marine Stewardship Council 1990s
• Marine Aquarium Council 1990s
• Protected Harvest 2000
• Climate Savers - 2000s
• New Program for IT Industry 2007
• Aquaculture Dialogues 2000s

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Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)

• May take 24- months to develop the independent
  ASC
• WWF to hire staff to manage development in
  Spring 2009

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Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)

• The ASC will offer farm level annual
  certification
• Accredit third-party Certification Bodies (CB)
  that are ISO 65 compliant
• Governed by a multi-stakeholder Board of
  Directors
• Incorporate clearly established balanced and
  independent standard-setting, accreditation and
  certification processes
• Designed to meet FAO Ecolabelling Guidelines
• Incorporate Dialogues standard and address chain
  of custody
• Explore partnerships with existing food safety or
  other standards to offer one-stop-shopping

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Thank You