Asian Diver — October 2017

DISEASE AND PARASITES

Disease can be present among farmed seafood. Pests and pathogens often carry the diseases and it can spread from wild populations to farmed populations, as well as from farmed stocks to the wild populations. For instance, with tilapia, overstocking of fish pens can lead to susceptibility to viruses and disease. Also, the inappropriate use of antibiotics and chemicals used to fight disease in farmed species can have unintended consequences on the environment and human health.

BIODIVERSITY LOSSChemicals and excess nutrients from food and faeces associated with aquaculture farms can disturb the flora and fauna on the ocean bottom.

ESCAPEES

Escaped farmed species can compete with wild fish and interbreed with local wild stocks of the same population, altering the overall pool of genetic diversity.

EXPANDING CERTIFICATIONWWF helped launch the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in 2009 to certify seafood farmers wishing to comply with the approved standards. Since then, four tilapia farms have been audited and certified as ASC compliant. 10 additional farms are in the process of being certified.

The ASC opened its accreditation process for Asian catfish, or pangasius, in early 2012. Accreditation is done by the independent accreditation body

Accreditation Services International (ASI). With responsibly farmed seafood now available in the marketplace, be sure to ask for ASC certified farmed seafood at your grocer or favourite restaurant.IMPROVING FARMED SEAFOOD PRACTICESWWF is involved in aquaculture improvement projects all over the world: In

Vietnam

, WWF works with Asian catfish, or pangasius, farmers to meet the commitment of the Vietnamese government and the country’s exporter

association to certify 50 percent of their Asian catfish by 2016. WWF also works in Indonesia with shrimp and tilapia farmers, in

Ecuador

with shrimp

farmers, and in

Chile

with salmon farmers. By working with farmers across a range of species, WWF helps ensure that there will be responsibly farmed

seafood on your store shelves so you can make the right choice when you’re shopping.

WWF’s hope is that the global marketplace will soon be transformed so that all farmed seafood is produced responsibly. Consumers will be assured

that, when they visit their local grocery store, or dine in their favourite restaurant, they will be making a responsible choice.

FEED

Fish caught to make fishmeal (used to feed farmed fish) and fish oil – a primary ingredient in the feed for farmed fish – currently represent one-third of the global fish harvest. Aquaculture must responsibly source and reduce its dependency upon fishmeal and fish oil so as not to put additional pressure on the world’s fisheries.

FISHMEAL