| Channel Catfish Farm Certification |
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| The following standards comprise the core of the BAP certification program. Developed and copyrighted by the Global Aquaculture Alliance, these Best Aquaculture Practices standards and guidelines reflect program points in four primary areas: Community, Environment, Food Safety and Traceability. |
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| To be certified by Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc., applicants shall comply with all (100%) of the critical inspection requirements on the Certification Application Form (10 pages in Microsoft Excel format), score at least 70% (52 of 75 points) on the scored inspection requirements and maintain specified production records for traceability for at least three months. After five years, certified facilities shall comply with all critical requirements and score 80% or better on the scored requirements. |
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| For a further explanation of the BAP standards, including several sample forms and worksheets, click the "Guidelines" links that follow each standard or download the full Guidelines below. The word "shall" is used throughout to indicate mandatory provisions. For further information, please refer to the additional resources listed within the Guidelines. |
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| These Best Aquaculture Practices certification standards apply to the pond production of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, blue catfish, I. furcatus, and hybrids thereof. |
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Full Guidelines for Standards
17 pages in PDF format. If needed,
download free Adobe Acrobat software: |
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| Community |
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1. Property Rights and Regulatory Compliance
Farms shall comply with local and national laws and environmental regulations, and provide current documentation that demonstrates legal rights for land use, water use, construction, operation and waste disposal . |
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2. Community Relations
Farms shall strive to be good neighbors by respecting the rights of others engaged in rural activities or living in the vicinity |
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3. Worker Safety and Employee Relations
Farms shall comply with local and national immigration and labor laws to assure adequate worker safety, compensation and, where applicable, on-site living conditions. |
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| Environment |
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4. Wetland Conservation and Biodiversity Protection
Aquaculture facilities shall not be located in wetland areas where they displace important natural habitats. Farm operations shall not damage wetlands or reduce the biodiversity of other ecosystems. Wetland area removed for allowable purposes shall be mitigated. |
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5. Effluent Management
Aquaculture facilities shall monitor their effluents to confirm compliance with BAP effluent water criteria*. Water quality measurments taken during certification inspection shall meet both BAP criteria and those of applicable government permits. Facilities shall comply with BAP's final criteria within five years. |
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| * Limited Option: The source water for aquaculture farms can have higher concentrations of water quality variables than allowed by the initial criteria. In these cases, demonstration that the variable concentrations do not increase (or decrease for dissolved oxygen) between the source water and farm effluent is an acceptable alternative to compliance with the criteria. |
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| After the first year of effluent monitoring, ACC will use data provided by facilities' application forms to calculate an annual water use index and annual load indices for total suspended solids, soluble phosphorus, total ammonia nitrogen and five-day biochemical oxygen demand. |
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6. Fishmeal and Fish Oil Conservation
Farms shall shall accuratley monitor feeds inputs and minimize the use of fishmeal and fish oil derived from wild fisheries. |
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7. Soil/Water Conservation
Farm construction and operations shall not cause soil and water salinization or deplete groundwater in surrounding areas. Farms shall properly manage and dispose of sediment from ponds, canals and setting basins. |
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8. Control of Escapes, Use of GMOs
Certified farms shall take easures to minimize escapes of farm stock and comply with governmental regulations regarding the use of non-native species and genetically modified organisms |
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9. Storage and Disposal of Farm Supplies
Fuel, lubricants and agricultural chemicals shall be stored and disposed of in a safe and responsible manner. Paper and plastic refuse shall be disposed of in a sanitary and responsible way. |
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10. Animal Welfare
Producers shall demonstrate that all operations on farms that involve fish are designed and operated with animal welfare in mind. Employees shall be trained to provide appropriate levels of husbandry. |
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| Food Safety |
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11. Drug and Chemical Management
Banned antibiotics and other drugs and chemical compounds shall not be used. Therapeutic agents shall be used as directed on product labels for control of diagnosed diseases or required water management, not prophylactic purposes. |
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12. Microbial Sanitation
Human waste and untreated animal manure shall be prevented from contaminating pond waters. Domestic sewage shall be treated and not contaminate surrounding areas. |
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| 13. Harvest and Transport Fish shall be harvested and transported to processing plants or other markets in a manner that maintains temperature control and minimizes stress, physical damage and contamination. |
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| Traceability |
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Record-Keeping Requirement
To establish product traceability, the following information shall be recorded for each pond and each production cycle: |
· pond identification number
· pond area
· stocking date
· quantity of fingerlings stocked
· source of fingerlings(hatchery)
· antibiotic and drug use |
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· herbicide, algicide, other pesticide use
· manufacturer and lot number
for each feed used
· harvest date
· harvest quantity
· processing plant or purchaser. |
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