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Aquaculture
Aquaculture Dialogues Frequently Asked Questions
- Many NGOs are against aquaculture (seafood farming). Why does WWF care about aquaculture?
- What is WWF doing to make aquaculture more sustainable?
- How do you define “standards?”
- For what species are standards being developed?
- What will happen with the standards when they are completed?
- Will the WWF logo be used on seafood certified through this initiative?
- You say the standards are being developed by consensus. What is meant by “consensus?”
- What will happen if consensus is not reached?
- Sometimes aquaculture has a positive impact on the environment. Why aren’t the Dialogues taking this into account?
- You say the Dialogue standards will address the social, as well as environmental, impacts of aquaculture. Why do you care about social impacts?
- Will the standards address food safety?
- Will the standards address traceability?
- A lot of standards exist or are being created. Why are the Aquaculture Dialogues creating a new set of standards instead of supporting one of the other sets of standards?
- Why is it taking so long to create the standards?
- Are most of the Dialogue participants from the seafood industry? If so, doesn’t this mean the standards will be focused primarily on the needs of the industry, not protection of the environment and society?
- Some other NGOs that are involved in the Dialogues also are helping develop other standards. Does this hurt the Dialogue process?
- You say that the standards will be field tested. How long will this process take and what will happen with the test results?
- How can people get involved in the Dialogue process?
- Who do you anticipate will want to become certified when the standards are finalized?
- For some aquaculture species, a variety of farming systems exist. How is this accounted for in the standards?
- Why do the standards encourage the use of better – not best – management practices?
- How do the Dialogue standards relate to the information in WWF’s seafood cards?
- Are you creating standards related to the aquaculture process or to aquaculture products?
- Many NGOs are against aquaculture (seafood farming). Why does WWF care about aquaculture?
Seafood is one of the healthiest and most popular sources of protein worldwide. U.S. seafood consumption reached its highest level in 2007 and consumption of seafood globally is expected to continue to rise. By volume, almost half of the seafood we eat is “wild” caught in the open water. But the other half is from aquaculture – the fastest growing food production system in the world – and aquaculture’s contribution is expected to continue to rise. Aquaculture farms can have a negative impact on the environment. For example, chemicals used at fish farms can pollute the water and diseases can spread easily from farmed to wild-caught fish. Because we are a conservation organization, we are committed to making sure aquaculture is good for people and nature. When done responsibly, aquaculture’s impact on wild fish populations, marine habitats and water quality is minimal. WWF’s work on sustainable seafood is not limited to aquaculture. We also work to improve the management of fisheries, which is the only way to take pressure off of fisheries. Creating a sustainable supply of seafood will only be possible if the impacts from aquaculture are minimized and fisheries are properly managed.
- What is WWF doing to make aquaculture more sustainable?
Through the Aquaculture Dialogues, a series of multi-stakeholder roundtables, we are creating standards for responsible aquaculture. Compliance with the standards will minimize the key negative environmental and social impacts related to aquaculture. WWF is involved with other initiatives to help make aquaculture more sustainable but they are not mentioned here because this list of questions pertains only to the Dialogues.
- How do you define “standards?”
With minor exceptions, the standards will be quantitative performance levels farmers must reach to become certified. Standards will be based on:- Impacts (a.k.a. “Issues”): The main consequences of farming on the environment and society.
- Principles: High-level goals to address each impact
- Criteria: Specific areas to focus on in order to reduce an impact
- Indicators: Points of measurement to determine the extent of an impact
An example is:
Impact: Water pollution
Principle: Conserve and protect water resources
Criteria: Effluents
Indicator: Nitrogen concentration in the effluent
Standard: 4mg/L total nitrogen in effluent
- For what species are standards being developed?
Standards are being developed for the species that have the greatest impact on the environment and society, the highest market value and/or the heaviest trading in the global market -- shrimp, salmon, pangasius, trout, tilapia, clams, oysters, scallops mussels, abalone, cobia and Seriola.
- What will happen with the standards when they are completed?
When finalized, the standards will be given to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), a new entity to be co-founded by WWF but independent of WWF, that will be responsible for hiring independent, third party auditors to certify farms that are in compliance with the standards. WWF will fully fund and oversee the business development phase for the ASC, as well as the creation of a strategy for the ASC. WWF also will be one of the funders of the ASC after it is created. Additional funders for the ASC will be identified during the business development phase and we will publicize any relevant news about funders as it becomes available.
Prior to the opening of the ASC in 2011, GLOBALGAP will fill this role. GLOBALGAP’s accredited certification bodies will be authorized by GLOBALGAP to audit farms that adopt the Aquaculture Dialogue standards. Farms that are in compliance with the standards will receive a certificate of interim compliance from GLOBALGAP. This process will begin in the last quarter of 2009, after the first set of Dialogue standards and the guidance documents for GLOBALGAP auditors are completed. WWF also is considering several other entities that can fill this role on an interim basis. Criteria for these entities includes – but is not limited to – expertise in aquaculture, business and certification; the use of third-party certifiers; the use of a transparent process; and transparency about the certification process/outcomes. Also, each entity will be required to adopt the standards as a package, not piecemeal.
- Will the WWF logo be used on seafood certified through this initiative?
No, the WWF logo will not be used. This is not a WWF process and the standards will not be owned by WWF. Although WWF convenes the Dialogue meetings, we are an equal stakeholder in the standards development process.
- You say the standards are being developed by consensus. What is meant by “consensus?”
We use the International Standard Organization’s definition for consensus, which is “General agreement, characterized by the absence of sustained opposition to substantial issues by any important part of the concerned interests and by a process seeking to take into account the views of interested parties, particularly those directly affected, and to reconcile any conflicting arguments. Consensus need not imply unanimity.” It is not necessary to reach consensus prior to the period when draft standards are posted for public comment.
- What will happen if consensus is not reached?
To ensure that consensus will be reached, each Dialogue develops guidelines on how to resolve conflicts and uses a variety of consensus building tools (e.g., balance sheets, weighted voting and impact/effort grids).
- Sometimes aquaculture has a positive impact on the environment. Why aren’t the Dialogues taking this into account?
We acknowledge that there are many positive impacts. But there also are negative impacts that, if not addressed, could lead to the demise – not growth – of the industry.
- You say the Dialogue standards will address the social, as well as environmental, impacts of aquaculture. Why do you care about social impacts?
Aquaculture is a labor-intensive industry and often is the backbone of communities where fish farms are located. Therefore, it is hard to address environmental sustainability without addressing such social issues as workers’ safety and public access to land. A good eco-label addresses both. We recognize that other entities work on social issues. We are interested in building on their work by focusing on social issues specific to aquaculture.
- Will the standards address food safety?
Some of the standards will indirectly address food safety. Food safety, however, is not the direct focus of the Dialogues. There are other programs, such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Program, that specialize in food safety. WWF and its partners are focusing on their areas of expertise – conservation and social issues.
- Will the standards address traceability?
Yes. Traceability is absolutely essential for standards to be effective. Without traceability, producers are not liable for how they raise seafood. The standards will address traceability by considering localized, as well as cumulative, impacts on the environment and society. The former requires knowing where the aquaculture species are raised and, thus, who is responsible for growing the species.
- A lot of standards exist or are being created. Why are the Aquaculture Dialogues creating a new set of standards instead of supporting one of the other sets of standards?
Most of the existing standards are not effective in making the aquaculture industry more sustainable. The Aquaculture Dialogue standards will be the most effective standards because of the reasons stated below. Ultimately, it will be up to consumers to decide which standards are the best.- Science-based. The Dialogue standards are being developed with input from the world’s leading aquaculture scientists and will be updated over time to reflect the newest scientific findings.
- Performance-based: The standards will not tell producers what practices to use to reduce or eliminate the impacts of aquaculture. Rather, the standards will provide targets to reach (e.g., 2.5 kilograms of phosphorous per metric ton of fish) if producers want to address the impacts. How they do so will be their choice. This will encourage innovation and continual improvement on the farm.
- Metrics-based. By being measurable, the standards will be objective and, therefore, more credible. An example of a metric is 4mg/L total nitrogen in effluent.
- Created by a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders. More than 1,500 people are participating in the Dialogues because they want something different – and more sustainable – than what is out there. They have a stake in the outcome.
- Focused on minimizing or eliminating the key environmental and social impacts of aquaculture, not a laundry list of impacts.
- Compliant with the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL): We have begun the process of becoming compliant with ISEAL’s Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards. The Dialogues are currently registered with ISEAL as an “emerging initiative.” This is the only ISEAL aquaculture initiative, other than the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and the Marine Aquarium Council.
- Why is it taking so long to create the standards?
Doing things the right way takes time. We want the standards to be attainable, applicable globally and across different farming systems, and challenge the industry to shift towards better practices. We can only do this if we engage a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders in the process. For most species, we anticipate it will take two to three years to develop standards.
- Are most of the Dialogue participants from the seafood industry? If so, doesn’t this mean the standards will be focused primarily on the needs of the industry, not protection of the environment and society?
Approximately 35 percent of the Dialogue participants are from the seafood industry. They do not make up the majority. Another key group of stakeholders is NGOs, which comprise approximately 20 percent of the participants. Other major stakeholder groups are academics, retailers and government officials. All of the stakeholders are involved in the Dialogues because they are interested in protecting the environment and society. This includes many of the industry leaders, who – even without the standards finalized – are making changes on the ground that address sustainability.
- Some other NGOs that are involved in the Dialogues also are helping develop other standards. Does this hurt the Dialogue process?
Organizations will do what is in their best interest. None of the Dialogue stakeholders can control this. In the end, consumers will decide which standards are the most credible.
- You say that the standards will be field tested. How long will this process take and what will happen with the test results?
Field testing will occur at the same time as the public comment period for each set of draft standards. In some cases, field testing will be done over a two-year period to take into consideration how seasonal weather affects farming. Any changes to the standards that are necessary based on the results from field testing will be incorporated into the final standards. We recognize that the standards will change over time to incorporate results from new science about aquaculture.
- How can people get involved in the Dialogue process?
All stakeholders are encouraged to attend Dialogue meetings and/or share their input with the Dialogue coordinators/Steering Committee members in between meetings. It is not too late to get involved. Also, get the most up to date information about the Dialogues by subscribing to the Aquaculture Dialogues free monthly e-newsletter and reading about the Dialogues at www.worldwildlife.org/Aquaculture
- Who do you anticipate will want to become certified when the standards are finalized?
Our hope is that the involvement of key stakeholders – such as producers, buyers and NGOs – in the Dialogues will ensure that the final standards are well-supported. We anticipate, therefore, that many of the producers engaged in the Dialogues will consider becoming certified and that the majority of the buyers involved will encourage their suppliers to become certified. Ultimately, market demand for safe and healthy seafood will motivate the industry to meet the standards.
- For some aquaculture species, a variety of farming systems exist. How is this accounted for in the standards?
Standards specific to different farming systems will be developed as needed. For example, for tilapia, standards are being created for cages, ponds and raceways. Regardless of whether the standards are systems-specific, the means for developing them will be consistent.
- Why do the standards encourage the use of better – not best – management practices?
This approach encourages innovation and continuous improvement, as better management practices are a means to an end and not the end itself. It also recognizes that the types of farming practices that can reduce or minimize impacts will vary from farm to farm. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to sustainable aquaculture. Better management practices are acceptable when performance is not measurable.
- How do the Dialogue standards relate to the information in WWF’s seafood cards?
The cards recommend what types of fish to avoid and what types to eat. They do not recognize that products often are raised differently from farm to farm. So, for example, some pangasius might be better than other pangasius. The standards will address these differences because the certification will occur at the farm level.
- Are you creating standards related to the aquaculture process or to aquaculture products?
In aquaculture production, standards can specify requirements for either the process through which a product is produced or the product itself. Although process certification is meant to influence the attributes of the product, process certification does not provide any guarantee about the quality of the product. The majority of the Aquaculture Dialogue standards are process, not product, standards that are focused on measuring aspects of the production process that may or may not have an impact on the environment and society. However, they are different from most process standards because they are performance- based and, in most cases, metrics-based.
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