Aquaculture Certification - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 122

5. Effluent management
Farms shall monitor effluents at the specified frequency to confirm that water
quality complies with BAP criteria. ∗ Water-quality measurements taken during
certification inspection shall meet both BAP criteria and those of applicable
government permits. Farms shall comply with BAP's final criteria within 5 years.

Variable (units - frequency) Initial value Final value

ph (standard units - M) 6.0-9.5 6.0-9.0

Total suspended solids (mg/L - Q) 100 or less 50 or less

Soluble phosphorus (mg/L - M) 0.5 or less 0.3 or less

Total ammonia nitrogen (mg/L - M) 5 or less 3 or less

5-day bio-oxygen demand (mg/L - Q) 50 or less 30 or less

Dissolved oxygen (mg/L - M) 4 or more 5 or more

Salinity: Water with less than 1 ppt
salinity, specific conductance below
1500 μ mhos/cm or chloride less
than 550 mg/L is considered fresh

No discharge above
800 mg/L chloride into
freshwater

No discharge above
550 mg/L chloride into
freshwater

M, monthly; Q, quarterly.

∗ Limited option: The source water for aquaculture farms can have higher con-
centrations of water-quality variables than allowed by the initial criteria. In these
cases, demonstration that the variable concentrations do not increase (or decrease
for dissolved oxygen) between the source water and farm effluent is an accept-
able alternative to compliance with the criteria. This option does not apply to
chloride.
After the first year of effluent monitoring, ACC will use data provided by fa-
cilities' application forms to calculate an annual water-use index and annual load
indices for total suspended solids, soluble phosphorus, total ammonia nitrogen
and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand.

6. Sediment management
Farms shall contain sediment from ponds, canals and settling basins and not
cause salinisation or other ecological nuisance in surrounding land and water.

7. Soil/water conservation
Farm construction and operations shall not cause soil and water salinisation or
depletion of ground water in surrounding areas.

8. Post-larvae sources
Certified farms shall not use wild post-larvae and shall comply with govern-
mental regulations regarding the importation of native and non-native shrimp
seedstock.