The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program completed new BAP hatchery and nursery standards for finfish, crustaceans and mollusks. The addition of the BAP hatchery standards allow companies to pursue four-star designation (processing plant, farm, hatchery and feed mill) for all species covered by the BAP program.
“We are very proud to announce the release of the new BAP hatchery standards," said Peter Redmond, VP of market development for the BAP program. “This now enables our partners to become four-star certified across the aquaculture sector. It’s a massive enhancement to the program while delivering true and meaningful change throughout the seafood supply chain.”Until now, BAP hatchery standards existed for only shrimp. Now that they’ve been finalized, the new BAP hatchery standards for finfish, crustaceans and mollusks will replace the existing BAP shrimp hatchery standards.
For currently certified shrimp hatcheries or those in the process of certification or application as of Sept. 17, 2014, compliance with the new standards will be mandatory for recertification beginning March 17, 2015. For new hatcheries and nurseries that raise shrimp or other species and are not yet certified or in process, the new standards are effective immediately as of September 17, 2014.
The standards apply to all aquaculture facilities that produce eggs and/or juvenile aquatic animals for live transfer to other aquaculture facilities. Production facilities include ponds or tanks on land with directed inflows and outflows of water, trays located intertidally on the foreshore, or rafts or cages (net pens) floating in a body of water. They do not apply to facilities that produce only aquatic animals for harvest and slaughter for human consumption.
A PDF of the BAP hatchery standards can be found here.
