Certification

Certification is a Goal

One of the goals of the Sustainable Aquaculture Program is to create an aquaculture sector that is able to meet market demands for certification against credible third-party programs.

Put simply, certification is a way of providing assurance that a product, process or service conforms to specified requirements or standards. Certification is often pursued in response to buyer demand, and companies that choose to become certified usually undergo an intensive third-party audit to verify their compliance.

Although common in many industries, certification is new to aquaculture. Still, as more global fish and seafood buyers look for verification that products are safe and sustainable, certification is sure to become more important. This means that being certified may become a condition of access in some markets.

• Seafood safety controls
• Measuring sustainability

Who are the Standard Makers?

Aquaculture standards for environmental sustainability have been developed by the following organizations:

• Global Aquaculture Alliance (salmon, mussels)
• GlobalGAP (salmon)
• World Wildlife Fund (salmon, trout, bivalves)

Certification is normally a five-step process:

• Current practices are evaluated to establish baseline performance
• Targets and goals for improvement are set
• Performance is monitored
• Improvements are documented
• New targets and goals are set for further improvement

Nearly all of Canada’s farmed salmon producers are either already certified against a credible third-party certification program or are on the way to becoming certified.

Going organic

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has also supported the development of a National Organic Standard for Canadian aquaculture products to give consumers an easy way of identifying organically grown Canadian aquaculture fish and shellfish. In addition, it will ensure that imports are held to the same standards of production.

Learn more:

• Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard (Canadian General Standards Board)
   
• Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard FAQs (Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance)