People will soon make room for sustainably farmed Arctic char in their fridge. It is true that aquaculture is becoming a huge success as supermarkets are introducing new standards for the farmed fish and shrimp that make up roughly half of U.S. seafood consumption, riding a wave of consumer demand for environmentally friendly products.
Last month Whole Foods announced a comprehensive set of aquaculture guidelines by a major retailer. Wal-Mart has established standards for farmed shrimp and certified its factories with the Aquaculture Certification Council. And Wegmans worked with Environmental Defense Fund on its farmed-shrimp policy to ban antibiotics, avoid damaging sensitive habitats, treat waste water and reduce the use of wild fish to feed shrimp.
Jill Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the World Wildlife Fund, which has advised Whole Foods on its standards, told that there are actually a lot of farmers right now who are trying to do the right thing. It is fact that seafood has grown as U.S. consumers increasingly accept it as an alternative to red meat and poultry. The Global Aquaculture Alliance has established standards for shrimp and some catfish and is expected to unveil a plan for tilapia soon.
It is said that Whole Foods has decided to develop its own comprehensive plan two years ago, and it began consulting with environmental groups and scientists and visiting its suppliers’ farms. According to the company it may modify its guidelines as consensus is reached among advocacy organizations. The new policies would apply to all seafood except mollusks.
