A draft of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) hatchery and nursery standards for finfish, crustaceans and mollusks is now available for public comment for 60 days.
To submit comments, use the electronic form at www.gaalliance.org/bap/comments.php, email BAP Standards Coordinator Daniel Lee or send a fax to +44-1248-716729.
The deadline to submit comments is March 31, 2014.
The BAP hatchery standards for finfish, crustaceans and mollusks apply to all species for which BAP farm standards exist, including shrimp, salmon, tilapia, catfish, Pangasius and mussels.
They 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.
Currently, BAP hatchery standards exist for only shrimp. Once finalized, the new BAP hatchery standards for finfish, crustaceans and mollusks will replace the existing BAP shrimp hatchery standards. Also, the new BAP hatchery standards would allow companies to pursue four-star designation for species such as salmon, tilapia, catfish and Pangasius.
“The release of this draft standard is an important advancement for the BAP program as it provides a consistent, global basis for certifying hatchery and nursery facilities,” said Lee. “This draft has required substantial input from a specialist technical committee and it can be applied to virtually all species. In common with all BAP standards, it is comprehensive and rests on the BAP pillars of community, environment, animal welfare, food safety and traceability.”
The technical content of the BAP hatchery standards for finfish, crustaceans and mollusks was developed by a technical committee led by John Forster of Forster Consulting Inc. in Port Angeles, Washington, USA. The BAP Standards Oversight Committee (SOC) -- whose members represent a balance of stakeholders from industry, NGOs and academia -- recommended refinements to the draft of the BAP hatchery standards before approving them for release.
Lee urged all interested parties to review the draft, adding that all properly submitted comments would receive responses and would potentially influence the finished piece.
