BAP Salmon Farm Standard Issue 3.0 is now available for public review and comment. Pictured: Atlantic salmon.
Photo: AdobeStock.
The Global Seafood Alliance has released its updated Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Salmon Farm Standard for a 60-day public comment period, concluding on May 5.
The new Salmon Farm Standard Issue 3.0 features several updates from the previous version (Issue 2.4) aimed at enhancing the thoroughness of the audit process.
Significant updates focus on areas like health and safety for diving staff, interactions with wildlife and predators, animal health and welfare, and biosecurity and disease management.
Regarding health and safety of staff on certified farms, the GSA is introducing updated procedures for safe diving, including protocols for diver emergencies, and enhanced requirements for diver training and certification.
Other key changes include implementation of the forage fish dependency ratio (FFDR) as a new metric, as well as strengthened measures for the protection of predator species and endangered, threatened, and protected species.
Regarding fish welfare, the new standard shows increased focus on the utilization and documentation of operational welfare indicators, as well as revised requirements for humane harvest/slaughter, including standard operating procedures (SOPs) for slaughter.
The update also include enhanced requirements related to biosecurity and the welfare of fish during transportation or crowding.
The BAP encourages public participation in reviewing these changes to ensure the standard remains comprehensive and effective, and says that all comments it receives will be carefully evaluated for potential inclusion in the final draft.
The full draft of the Salmon Farm Standard Issue 3.0 is available on the GSA's BAP website, in addition to information on how to submit comments, which are coordinated by GSA Standards Coordinator David Dietz.
