The “moving towards certification” was created by under new category by WWF seafood guide. The new seafood guide category came under fire for red listing pangasius from Vietnam. After WWF officials met with Vietnamese authorities earlier this month, the fish was moved from the red list to “moving towards certification,” signifying the sector’s efforts to become certified under the WWF’s fledgling Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
According to the WWF tilapia currently rated as the fish as unsustainable because of issues related to harmful environmental effects, including chemical use, waste spilling into waterways, risks of disease and escapes and weak regulation of aquaculture in many producing areas.
Mark Powell, WWF International Global Seafood Leader, said that this certification was set up to give consumers the ability to identify and support fisheries and fish farms that have signed up to achieve the highest standards of sustainable production. He told that they advise customers to buy tilapia from Indonesia and Honduras to support leadership in sustainable aquaculture.
Tilapia producers in these two countries have achieved or soon will achieve compliance with the tilapia standards that will be used by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. Powell said that they are expecting that the time line for certification of tilapia from Honduras and Indonesia will be very short and it will quite possibly be the first aquaculture product certified to the new standards.
