Northern Harvest Successfully Navigates BAP’s New Multi-Site Cluster Program
Canada’s Northern Harvest Sea Farms is the first salmon company in North America to complete the Best Aquaculture Practices’ (BAP) new multi-site cluster program (BAP-C), resulting in five salmon farm sea sites in Newfoundland attaining BAP certification, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced on Nov. 1.
The BAP-C program allows an applicant to combine multiple farm sites within a defined geographical area to apply for BAP certification for all sites during a single audit.
Northern Harvest’s salmon-farming operations are an example of the consistently robust internal management systems in place across all member sites to support the cluster audit scheme. Audit efficiency is achieved by a combination of reviewing documents and policies common to all member sites such as permits, operating licenses and diver safety, in addition to individual site visits to assess site-specific audit clauses, escapes, therapeutant use and wildlife interactions.
Northern Harvest was also the world’s first salmon company to achieve four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) status when its hatchery in Stephenville, Newfoundland, earned BAP certification in late 2014. The highest designation in the BAP program, four star denotes that a product originates from a BAP-certified processing plant, farm, hatchery and feed mill.
About BAP
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain — farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills — that assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards owned by the Global Aquaculture Alliance.
