Aquaculture

WWF's work on aquaculture began in 1994, when the organization supported a research project comparing the impacts of shrimp aquaculture and shrimp trawling. The main recommendation from the study was that WWF identify strategies to reduce the major impacts from shrimp aquaculture and engage shrimp producers and governments in a productive dialogue. Several initiatives followed the study. 

WWF published a shrimp aquaculture position paper in 1997, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held a technical workshop on sustainable shrimp aquaculture in 1998, and WWF's Dr. Jason Clay and Claude Boyd published an article about shrimp farming in Scientific American in 1998 that highlighted the need for major changes in aquaculture production systems.

In 1999, WWF partnered with FAO, the World Bank and the Network of Aquaculture Centers of Asia Pacific to create the Shrimp Aquaculture and the Environment Consortium - The United Nations Environmental Program has since joined the consortium. In 2006, after the completion of more than 140 meetings with more than 8,000 people and the publication of 40 case studies by 120 researchers, the consortium's International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming were adopted by the FAO's Committee on Fisheries.

Recognizing the need to continue to engage a broad and diverse group of people in the development of standards for responsible aquaculture, WWF initiated eight roundtables, called Aquaculture Dialogues, starting in 2004. More than 2,000 people -- farmers, conservationists, academics, government officials and others -- are participating in or have participated in the Dialogues. They have created standards that will minimize the key negative environmental and social impacts for tilapia, abalone, clams, mussels, scallops, oysters and Pangasius. Standards for freshwater trout, salmon, shrimp, Seriola and cobia will be finalized in early 2011. 

When finalized, the standards are given to a new organization, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, that will be responsible for working with independent, third party entities to certify farms that are in compliance with the standards. Read more about the ASC's recent appointment of Accreditation Services International to accredit and oversee the certifiers.  

For more information about the Dialogues, read our process guidance document. English | French | Spanish |Thai

Learn more about the history and development of each Dialogue:

• Shrimp
• Salmon
• Bivalve
• Tilapia 
• Pangasius
• Abalone
• Trout
• Seriola and Cobia