Weekly Overview: Vietnamese Shrimp Farmers Working Towards BAP Certification

ANALYSIS - The National Fish and Seafood (NF&S) company is helping 824 integrated black tiger shrimp and mangrove farms in Vietnam's Ca Mau province achieve sustainable certification through an aquaculture improvement project.

In order to implement the project, NF&S signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and Vietnam-based Minh Phu.

To get the 824 farms certified to the Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) group standard, NF&S will be working with farmers, providing training on on documenting each stage of the farming process, better harvesting and handling techniques, as well as improving sanitation on the farm and worker's facilities.

The farmers also have incentives to protect the mangrove forests and, once certified, will be given a small premium on the price they receive for their shrimp from Minh Phu.

In other news, Jason Cleaversmith, the director of business development at the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has explained how the Scottish aquaculture sector is poised to keep growing but it must overcome challenges, such as sea lice, which is costing the Scottish salmon farming industry about £1 billion a year. 

Speaking at the Oceanology International exhibition and conference in London, Mr Cleaversmith said that the SAIC is helping the industry to develop by looking at four areas of innovation – sea lice control, sustainable feeds, rapid disease detection and health and welfare and mollusc spat and production systems.

Dr Cleaversmith also said that the SAIC is looking for more projects to back but he stressed that they must have a lead partner from a Scottish Higher Education Institution.

He said the areas of research that the centre is hoping to support include the development of processing innovation, the use of technology to support environmental management projects, predator deterrents and offshore innovation. 

Khoa Le

Source: The Fish Site