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Eco-certification of Farmed Seafood: Will it Make a Difference?

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Abstract

Eco-certification is widely considered a tool for reducing environmental impacts of aquaculture, but what are the likely environmental outcomes for the world’s fastest growing animal-food production sector? This article analyzes a number of eco-certification schemes based on species choice, anticipated share of the global seafood market, size of eligible producers, and targeted environmental impacts. The potential of eco-certification to reduce the negative environmental impacts of aquaculture at scale presently appears uncertain as: (a) certification schemes currently focus on species predominantly consumed in the EU and US, with limited coverage of Asian markets; (b) the share of certified products in the market as currently projected is too low; (c) there is an inequitable and non-uniform applicability of certification across the sector; (d) mechanisms or incentives for improvement among the worst performers are lacking; and (e) there is incomplete coverage of environmental impacts, with biophysical sustainability and ecosystem perspectives generally lacking.

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Notes

  1. In this article, “seafood” refers to all edible aquatic animals from both marine and freshwater environments.

  2. A list of evaluated standard documents can be obtained from the authors upon request.

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Acknowledgments

We thank M. Beveridge for critical reading of the manuscript and also representatives of the standard holding organizations for providing valuable information on volumes of certified seafood. M. Jonell, P. Rönnbäck, and M. Troell have benefited from funding from Sida (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency). This article contributes to the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gotland University, Cramérgatan 3, 621 67, Visby, Sweden

    Malin Jonell & Patrik Rönnbäck

  2. The WorldFish Center, Jalan Batu Maung, Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas, 11960, Penang, Malaysia

    Michael Phillips

  3. The Beijer Institute, Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden

    Max Troell

  4. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Max Troell

  5. Uppsala University, Cramérgatan 3, 621 67, Visby, Sweden

    Malin Jonell & Patrik Rönnbäck

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  1. Malin Jonell
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Correspondence to Malin Jonell.

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Jonell, M., Phillips, M., Rönnbäck, P. et al. Eco-certification of Farmed Seafood: Will it Make a Difference?. AMBIO 42, 659–674 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-013-0409-3

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