The most commercially important farmed species for the U.K. market have been profiled on a new online tool that has been developed to provide seafood buyers, especially those new to the industry, with a “one stop shop” on aquaculture.
Created by public body Seafish, the tool has launched with nine profiles, rising to 14 in the coming months.
Profiles offer information on production location and methods with a focus on key environmental issues including farm sites, nutrients, feed, disease and medicines, escapes and introductions as well as sustainability certifications.
Information on global, third-party certification schemes has been pulled together in the same resource, making it easier for buyers to see what is being done to mitigate environmental and social impacts of aquaculture.
"Seafood buyers have to look hard to find balanced and up-to-date information on aquaculture and we believe this can impact on the purchasing decisions when retailers or wholesalers are deciding which farmed products they want to make available to customers. Our hope is that the profiles on this tool will provide anybody interested in aquaculture the information they need to make informed decisions and help dispel some of the common myths about farmed seafood," said Lee Cocker, aquaculture manager at Seafish.
The tool, which was showcased at the Global Seafood Expo last month, has been praised by industry and business as a vital pre-competitive resource that will boost the reputation of the aquaculture industry.
Mike Berthet, market development manager EU for the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) said, "This is a brilliant example of Seafish helping to educate and inform all those involved in the purchasing and consumption of farmed seafood. It is an excellent resource which helps to simplify the complexities of farmed seafood and dispel the misinformation surrounding aquaculture."
The aquaculture profile tool complements the Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood (RASS) tool which was developed by Seafish four years ago and focuses on wild capture species.
Unlike the aquaculture tool, RASS provides seafood buyers with a risk score based on a range of factors such as stock and bycatch.
