The nonprofit Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) gave an overview of key issues relating to modern aquaculture on the opening day of Seafood Expo Southern Europe in Barcelona, Spain.
The show opened its doors Monday in Barcelona through 24 September and hosts exhibitors from more than 25 countries and visitors from all areas of the globe.
“Responsible aquaculture” was the title of the conference presented by Emil Avalon, representative of the European Market Development of the GAA, which is dedicated to environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture. They coordinate the development of Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification standards.
In the presentation, Emil Avalon explained the key focal points of the BAP Standards are social, environmental, animal safety and traceability.
He also noted less than the 5 percent of the world’s fish farming is certified and the market demands certification. In this respect, he also pointed out that the interest in certification is rising absolutely from all countries. Furthermore, he stated that the management and certification for zones offers many advantages, such as contributing to avoiding diseases among the catches in the fish farming.
He also highlighted the importance of cooperation between NGOs, industry and the different certifications, for making certification more attractive and accessible.
In the presentation, Avalon explained GAA’s three main activities are the development of the BAP Certification, the organization of their Annual GOAL Conference and the publication of the Global Aquaculture Advocate, a magazine about responsible aquaculture.
