The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices program on Wednesday announced it completed standards for mussel farms.
The new standards encompass all production systems for mussels, including cultivation on the seabed or on poles, and suspended cultures such as long-line culture and raft-and-rack culture. They also cover various mussel species, including blue mussels, Mediterranean mussels, Chilean mussels, New Zealand Greenshell mussels and Asian green mussels.
The standards will be used as a template for broader mollusk farm standards that cover other commercial species, including clams, oysters, scallops and abalone.
“GAA was delighted to collaborate with stakeholders in the conservation, academic and mussel-farming communities to develop these ground-breaking BAP standards that serve another key sector of the aquaculture industry,” said George Chamberlain, GAA president. “Together with recently implemented multi-species standards for fish and shellfish, GAA is advancing in its mission of furthering responsible aquaculture to meet world food needs.”
As with all BAP standards, the mussel farm standards address social and environmental responsibility, food safety, animal welfare and traceability. Click here to view the standards.
