Aquaculture Dialogues Katherine Bostick, WWF Aquaculture Standards Workshop February 25, 2009

WWF and Aquaculture  Focus on aquaculture began with shrimp  Studied impacts and realized they could be reduced  Evolved into multi- stakeholder development of performance-based, voluntary standards  An aquaculture eco-label should cover a suite of species

33 Why Create Standards? Minimize aquaculture’s impact on: Society Environment

Goal of the Aquaculture Dialogues Create standards for environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture

5 Standards will encourage innovation 5 Performance Curve Regulation Performance Shift Best Performance Performance WorstBest Number of producers

Standards to be created for 12 species 6 Tilapia Production (metric tons x millions) Salmon Production (metric tons x millions) Trout Production (metric tons x thousands) Pangasius Production (metric tons x thousands) Aquaculture Capture Source: FAO FishStat – Aquaculture Production: Quantities and Capture Production: Shrimp Production (metric tons x millions) Abalone Production (metric tons x thousands)

Standards to be created for 12 species 7 Source: FAO FishStat – Aquaculture Production: Quantities and Capture Production: Oysters Production (metric tons x millions) Clams, Cockles & Arkshells Production (metric tons x millions) Mussels Production (metric tons x millions) Aquaculture Capture Scallops Production (metric tons x millions) Seriola/cobia Aquaculture Dialogue – in development

88 Dialogue Process  Effective and meaningful stakeholder participation  Clear and balanced governance  Consensus oriented  Transparent  ISEAL compliant

Dialogue Standards  Science-based  Explicitly target key environmental and social impacts of production  Performance-based standards can measurably reduce key impacts against a baseline  Encourages innovation by using metrics  Doable—based on achievable performance levels and integrated with current data collection where possible

Dialogue Road Map  Impact : The problem we want to minimize  Principle : The guiding principle for addressing the impact  Criteria : The area to focus on to address the impact  Indicator : What to measure in order to determine the extent of the impact  Standard : The number and/or performance level to reach to determine if the impact is being minimized

Mollusc Aquaculture Dialogue Status  8 Meetings  3 Regional Advisory Commitees formed  Global Steering Committee formed and scheduled to meet in April 2009  Ideas generated for principles, criteria, and indicators—draft to be formalized by Steering Committee  For more information contact Coordinator Colin Brannen:

Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue  Technical Working Group reports on 6 impacts  Final draft principles developed  Revised draft criteria to be discussed in Boston  Indicators brainstormed, formal draft to be developed by scientists

13 Get involved

14 Home for Dialogue Standards Aquaculture Stewardship Council 22

WWF’s Experience with Certification Programs  Rainforest Marketing – 1980s  Forest Stewardship Council – 1990s  Marine Stewardship Council – 1990s  Marine Aquarium Council – 1990s  Protected Harvest – 2000  Climate Savers s  New Program for IT Industry – 2007  Aquaculture Dialogues – 2000s

Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)  May take 24- months to develop the independent ASC  WWF to hire staff to manage development in Spring 2009

Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)  The ASC will offer farm level annual certification  Accredit third-party Certification Bodies (CB) that are ISO 65 compliant  Governed by a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors  Incorporate clearly established balanced and independent standard-setting, accreditation and certification processes  Designed to meet FAO Ecolabelling Guidelines  Incorporate Dialogues standard and address chain of custody  Explore partnerships with existing food safety or other standards to offer “one-stop-shopping”