The Ainan Fisheries Cooperative Association located in Ehime Prefecture has become the first facility in Japan to achieve Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) announced.

The BAP is for to two of the sea bream farms in the Ehime area: the Yasutaka Suisan farm and the Hamasui processing plant, both members of the Ainan Fisheries Cooperative. The BAP certification is a third-party accreditation program developed by the GSA to promote environmentally and socially responsible practices.

Hiroki Tachibana, the President of the Ainan Fishery Cooperative Association, said that “We are very pleased that two of our members, Yasutaka Suisan and Hamasui, have become the first in the world to receive BAP certification for red sea bream.” Moreover, Tachibana also explained that this can represent a major boost for exports because although Ainan is a small town, it is one of Japan’s leading aquaculture producers. “We hope that Ainan sea bream will spread its wings to the rest of the world.”

Steve Hart, GSA’s Vice President of Market Development, clarified that Japan is among the leaders in Asia. In both promoting and developing aquaculture practices, the Japanese are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In fact, the BAP for both companies is proof of the industry’s progress.