The Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program has announced that there are now more than 2,000 BAP-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills in 33 countries and six continents.

Administered by the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the BAP program has more than doubled in size in the past two years, from about 700 facilities at the end of 2015 to 1,500-plus facilities by the end of 2016 to 1,850 facilities at the end of 2017.

The BAP program officially hit the 2,000-facility mark during last week’s Seafood Expo North America (SENA), at which GAA exhibited. The addition of 46 salmon farms operated by The Scottish Salmon Company, announced at the onset of SENA, pushed the program to the brink of the 2,000-facility mark. 

“We’re really proud of this accomplishment,” said GAA Executive Director Wally Stevens. “Moreover, we’re really proud of the industry’s ability to consistently demonstrate its long-term commitment to responsible aquaculture through third-party certification. Year in and year out, BAP-certified facilities subject themselves to an audit against standards that are stringent and comprehensive.”

Of the 2,011 BAP-certified facilities, 1,293 are farms, 408 are processing plants, 205 are hatcheries and 105 are feed mills. The 1,000-plus farms produce more than 1.8 million metric tons of finfish and shellfish annually, predominately shrimp, salmon, tilapia, pangasius, catfish and mussels.