Canada launched its own organic aquaculture standard in May, giving Canadians the opportunity to choose certified organic farmed seafood including finfish, shellfish and aquatic plants.
In line with industry’s commitment to continuous improvement, the new Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard is said to move the industry toward excellence in ecological management and husbandry and provides both finfish and shellfish producers with another important option for verifying their farming protocols in the marketplace.
The organic aquaculture standard prohibits the use of antibiotics, herbicides and genetically modified organisms, and severely restricts the use of parasiticides, allowed only under veterinary supervision as a last course of treatment. The standard sets measurable requirements for practices that minimise the impact of waste, including defining stocking rates, cleaning procedures and the cleaning and feed materials that must be used.
The new standard was developed with the Canadian General Standards Board and a stakeholder committee of industry members, consumer advocates, regulators and environmental organisations. The draft standard went through two extensive public reviews and countless changes before being published.
