Feed and Feeding in Certification Schemes of Sustainable Aquaculture

Abstract

Certification programs for sustainable or responsible aquaculture have been widely developed. In the framework of IUCN project about sustainable feed in aquaculture, we considered the main existing certification schemes for sustainable aquaculture and analysed the present criteria taken into account for aquafeeds and their ingredients. As certification of sustainable aquaculture is a highly dynamic sector, we tried to identify the main trends in the organization of the certification schemes, and in the way the certification of sustainability for feed and raw materials is defined by the main actors. The growing substitution rate in fish feeds of fish meal and fish oil by other raw materials has widened the issue of fish feed sustainability. Therefore, certification of sustainability for aquafeed will increasingly rely on other certification schemes, issued by agriculture and feed mill sectors, where aquaculture has a limited weight. The present situation and the evolution of certification for sustainable aquaculture raise numerous questions, as their weight on small producers, and the need for a better governance for defining and applying sustainability to aquaculture, with a more balanced weight between public and private sectors.