Posted on 18 December
2009 - Washington
D.C. - Global standards addressing the negative
impacts of tilapia farming on the environment
and society have been finalized.
They are the first set
of final standards produced through the
Aquaculture Dialogues, a series of roundtables
coordinated by WWF.
The standards are the
final product of the Tilapia Aquaculture
Dialogue, a network of more than 200 people
– including producers, conservationists
and scientists – created in 2005 to help
transform the aquaculture industry. Many
of the participants are from the world’s
leading tilapia producing regions, including
Central America and Asia.
“With almost 75 percent
of the world’s tilapia coming from a farm,
instead of being raised in the wild, the
need for credible standards is critical
and timely,” said Dr. Aaron McNevin of WWF,
tilapia Dialogue coordinator and Dialogue
Steering Committee member.
The standards will allow
the tilapia industry to grow while minimizing
its impacts, such as non-native tilapia
being introduced and chemicals being released
into the water.
“There are other tilapia
standards on the market but these standards
have staying power because they were developed
by a broad and diverse group of experts
through a very transparent process,” McNevin
said. “The standards also will have a long
shelf life because they are metrics-based,
which is the only way to really know if
the tilapia industry is reducing its environmental
footprint.”
The certification costs
will be low compared to most certification
programs because the standards focus on
reducing a set number of key impacts instead
of a long list of issues. The relatively
low cost will make it easier for small-
and large-scale producers to adopt the standards.
Farmers who adopt the standards will be
eligible for certification by early 2010.
The Aquaculture Stewardship
Council (ASC), a new entity that will be
in operation in 2011, will be responsible
for working with independent, third party
entities to certify farms that are in compliance
with all of the standards created through
the Aquaculture Dialogues process, including
the tilapia standards. In the meantime,
this role will be filled by GLOBALGAP, a
private sector body that sets voluntary
standards. GLOBALGAP will certify tilapia
producers by supplementing its existing
food safety, environmental and social requirements
with the new standards. GLOBALGAP Is expected
to begin offering this new certification
option to tilapia producers by the end of
2009.
“We support the tilapia
standards because they will help us tell
our customers the story they want and deserve
to hear – that they are eating tilapia which
was raised in an environmentally friendly
way,” said Craig Watson, Vice President
of Agricultural Sustainability of Sysco
Corporation, the largest foodservice distributer
in the United States. “And with the ASC
in place, we will have the assurance that
the standards will be adhered to properly,
which will bring credibility and longevity
to the standards.”
The tilapia standards
are based on almost five years of discussions
and research, as well as feedback received
from more than 50 stakeholders when the
draft standards were posted for review.
The steering committee that managed the
Dialogue process used all of this information
to develop the final product. The committee
included representatives from Regal Springs
Trading Company, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership,
New England Aquarium, Aquamar, Rain Forest
Aquaculture and WWF.
“The end result of this
process is a product our customers can be
proud of because they know it is based on
the best input from scientists, producers
and NGOs,” said committee member Mike Picchietti
of Regal Springs. “And the timing of it
is perfect because the standards will allow
the tilapia industry to grow without having
a negative impact on the environment and
society.”
The standards will be
amended over time to incorporate new science
and to encourage continuous improvement
on the farm.
Through the Aquaculture
Dialogues, standards for 12 aquaculture
species will be created. The Dialogue process
includes 2,000 people.The goal of the Dialogues
is to follow the International Social and
Environmental Accreditation and Labeling
Alliance’s guidelines for creating environmental
and social standards.
