Aquaculture Certification - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 128

To properly understand how the BAP programme functions, it is also important
to be aware of the distinction between product and process certification. This is
because, in a BAP certified facility, it is the processes that are certified rather than
the product. Thus technically it is incorrect to refer to 'BAP-certified product' - the
correct designation being 'product from a BAP-certified source'. This distinction
is a reflection of the food industry's welcome move away from repetitive lot testing
and the move towards quality assurance and the adoption of the management tool
known as HACCP (hazard analysis, critical control points). The latter approach is a
more efficient use of resources and it recognises that it is unfeasible and prohibitively
expensive to screen every lot of product for hazards such as harmful bacteria and
antibiotic residues.
Up to October 2006, the ACC had certified 50 processing plants, 26 farms and 17
hatcheries, and the programme is successfully attracting new participants. Impor-
tantly, the BAP have been certified at facilities in three continents. Countries with
certified facilities include Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Dutch Antilles, Ecuador,
Honduras, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Nicaragua, Thailand, United
States, Venezuela and Vietnam.

5.13 GAA perspectives

The GAA attempts to present industry viewpoints on a series of key issues. Sum-
maries for four such issues are provided below concerning mangroves, fishmeal
and fish oil, antibiotic residues and trade. Thorough analysis of such topics is the
best basis for developing successful policies to resolve remaining problems.

5.13.1 Mangroves

In some circles shrimp farm construction is considered to be synonymous with
mangrove destruction, but a closer look at industry practice and current trends
indicates that aquaculture has a relatively small and declining impact on mangroves.
Mangroves are vitally important coastal ecosystems that need to be conserved, but
to do this effectively requires some understanding of the multiple forces that are
threatening them. Up to 60% of the world's historic mangrove resource has been
lost due to population pressures and clearing for agriculture, urban development,
salt production, logging and fuel. Even if all shrimp ponds (1.37 m ha in 1996)
were built on mangroves this would still represent less than 5% of the total historic
resource. Respected conservationists concur with this analysis, noting that the extent
of mangrove destruction worldwide resulting from shrimp farming is only a tiny
fraction of the loss to date (Clay 1996).
Traditional aquaculture in places like Indonesia and the Philippines has relied
on intertidal mangrove areas to produce extensive crops of fish and crustaceans.
The rapid expansion of shrimp farming in the 1980s resulted in further mangrove