Now tilapia farms across globe will have uniform aquaculture practice standards as the new standards and guidelines are complete and will be soon achieve BAP certification by contacting ACC. It is said that the tilapia standards are the result of a two-year development process directed by the BAP technical committee chaired by Ecuadorean tilapia specialist Lorena Schwarz, who also participated in the World Wildlife Fund tilapia dialogues.
The standard is ready to received public comments from both conservationists and aquaculture professionals. The standards were also revised following feedback from field trials in Thailand and China. The final result is a comprehensive set of standards and guidelines that are applicable to a wide array of culture systems. It is told that farms must comply with regulations regarding the use of non-native species. Regular monitoring of water quality and effluents are required.
Tilapia farm committee is now facing a challenging issue how to address the potential of tilapia cages and net pens causing eutrophication in lakes and reservoirs with widely varying levels of circulation. The committee ultimately developed innovative standards for maximum daily feed inputs based on hydraulic retention time classification of each lake or reservoir. The new standards also encourage producers to use methods other than hormone treatments to obtain all-male fry. When used, records of hormone application — which is not permitted during grow out must be maintained.
BAP Standards Coordinator Daniel Lee states that the new standards are good news for the tilapia industry because they deal with issues in a transparent and efficient manner that can be readily understood by program participants and other stakeholders. He added that BAP certification provides a realistic objective for the majority of tilapia farmers, and as such will serve to shift the whole industry on a path to greater sustainability.
