Number Of BAP-Certified Facilities Tops 1,600
The number of Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills surpassed the 1,600 mark at the end of February, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in early March. The BAP program has more than doubled in size in the past two years, growing from 701 BAP-certified facilities at the end of 2014 to 1,500-plus facilities at the end of last year, demonstrating the industry’s commitment to responsible aquaculture.
Also for the first time, the number of BAP-certified farms crossed the 1,000 mark.
BAP has added 72 facilities to the third-party certification program since the beginning of 2017, bringing the total to 1,619 BAP-certified facilities at the end of February.
There were a total of 370 BAP-certified processing plants at the end of February, which collectively produce 2.26 million metric tons of shrimp, salmon, tilapia, pangasius and other farmed seafood species annually.
As for farms, there were a total of 1,004 BAP-certified farms at the end of February, and the number of BAP-certified hatcheries and feed mills stood at 169 and 76, respectively.
BAP is the world’s most comprehensive third-party aquaculture certification program, with aquaculture standards encompassing environmental responsibility, social responsibility, food safety, animal health and welfare and traceability.
