Sustainable aquaculture through certification

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Sustainable aquaculture through certification
better practices
Outcomes of the Ecosystem-Based Management
Pre-conference

• Flavio Corsin

4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts Islands
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Aquaculture certification

• Increasing concerns on sustainability
• Increasing demand willingness to pay for
  sustainable aquaculture products (EU, US mainly)
• Corporate envl/social responsibility
• Increasing number of aquaculture certification
  schemes
• Confusion/concerns
• Certification guidelines in preparation

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Certification schemes

• Currently at least 30 certification schemes (FAO)
• Broad sustainability (envl, social, safety)
• Promoted by retailers
• Promoted by industry
• Promoted by Governments
• Promoted by NGOs
• ISO
• Organic
• Fair-trade
• Animal welfare Free-range

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Issues with aquaculture certification schemes

• Standards often developed without true
  multi-stakeholder consultations
• Often no true consensus-based process
• Often many control points (prescriptive)
• Sometimes not truly independent certification
  process

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Issues with aquaculture certification schemes

• All niche schemes mostly large farms
• Very few schemes applicable to small scale
  producers (eg some organic)
• Costs/benefits unbalanced among stakeholders!
• Often no premium prices or better market access

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Aquaculture certification needs

• Influence the consumers
• Standards which are
• Multistakeholder consensus-based
• Focused of key impacts
• Performance-based
• Market access or premium price
• Enabling environment
• Governments eg better plans
• Service providers

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Better Practices needs

• Influence the producers
• Better Management Practices
• Animal health, environment, food safety
  socio-economics
• Reduce pressure on wild stocks
• Low trophic species/polyculture
• Farmer groups/cooperatives
• Hatchery technology
• Capacity building/education
• EIA, SIA

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Thank you!
4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts Islands