The Organic Aquaculture Program provides access to the following:

ISEES First National Organic Aquaculture Workshop (June 23-24, 2000)

Representatives from the aquaculture and organic agriculture sectors, academia, NGO's and government worked together and jump-started the most comprehensive dialog to date on organic aquaculture standards in the United States.

Links to workshop-related documents:

Final report (PDF file)

Presentations (PowerPoint files)
Workshop photos

ISEES Internet International Organic Aquaculture Working Group Discussion Room

Initially established as a means to continue the dialog that began during ISEES 2000 Workshop, this discussion room is open to all parties interested in the development of U.S. and international standards for organic aquaculture.

Access the discussion room here. Note: Registration is required. To register, contact Deborah Brister at djb@fw.umn.edu

National Organic Standards Board Aquatic Animal Task Force Aquaculture Working Group Report (March, 2001)

Following ISEES' 2000 workshop, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) created an Aquatic Task Force and Aquaculture Working Group. The Working Group submitted their final report March, 2001.

Read the first Working Group Report here.

Read the second Working Group Report here.

National Organic Standards Board Aquatic Animal Task Force Final Recommendations (May, 2001)

The Aquatic Task Force reviewed the Aquaculture Working Group's report and narrowed their recommendations found in this report.

Read the Aquatic Task Force Final Recommendations here.

The NOSB accepted the report of the Aquatic Animal Task Force.

Read the Summary of NOSB Actions here.

The USDA National Organic Program issued a policy statement (May, 2002) that states in the absence of national standards for organic aquaculture, certifying agents that have aquaculture standards and are accredited by USDA may certify aquaculture products as organic and use the USDA label.

Read the NOP Policy Statement here.

IFOAM Basic Standards
National Organic Program
Aquaculture
Organic Agriculture

Organic Aquaculture Articles

Organic Aquaculture (Aquaponics Journal, 2000)

Organic Aquaculture: Moving toward national standards (World Aquaculture, 2001)

Global rise of aquaculture: A trigger for organic and eco-labelling standards for aquatic animals (The Organic Standard, 2001)

IFOAM Drafts Basic Standards for Organic Aquaculture Production (The Advocate, 2002)

Organic Aquaculture--Current Status and Future Prospects (FAO, 2002)

News

International Organic Aquaculture Workshop: Low-Food-Chain Candidate Species

We invite you to participate in an organic aquaculture workshop focusing on evaluating and prioritizing low-food-chain species that are promising candidates for sustainable, and especially organic, aquaculture production. This workshop will convene in Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 11-12, 2003.

As the number of carnivorous species in culture increases, reliance on marine fisheries resources to feed cultured organisms has also increased. Despite improvements to the diets of aquaculture species, many scientists question the long-term sustainability of pelagic fisheries intended for fishmeal and oil. Researchers are now exploring options to replace fishmeal with plant-based ingredients. Vegetarian feeds for carnivorous species are, however, still in early stages and require additional research to ensure that these do no adversely affect the aquatic animal's physiology and ultimate taste of the final seafood product.

The Institute for Social, Economic and Ecological Sustainability is approaching this issue differently by convening a workshop to identify and evaluate naturally herbivorous and other low-food-chain aquatic species that do not require fishmeal and oil. These species, many unknown to seafood consumers in the United States, are cultured in diverse environments throughout the globe and provide a sustainable alternative to consuming carnivorous species. Furthermore, organic certification of these species should be easier, due to the ability to completely bypass the issue of pelagic species feed sustainability.

Please note: The workshop registration is full at this time. To be put on a waiting list, in the event of a cancellation, please contact ISEES.

Links:

Call for Papers. Call for papers is now closed.

Workshop Advisory Committee

Organic Seafood Tasting Tour

Workshop Agenda

Accomodations

Program Manager Co-chairs Newly Established International Organic Aquaculture Group

During the August, 2002 International Federation of Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Congress, convened in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, the IFOAM Aquaculture Group selected ISEES Program Manager, Deborah Brister as one of three interim board members. The Aquaculture Group was formalized at their annual meeting in Nuremberg, Germany (February, 2003) and will act as an organic aquaculture interest group for IFOAM members as well as assist the IFOAM Standards Committee in finalizing IFOAM organic aquaculture standards.

ISEES' Second Organic Aquaculture Workshop: Alternative Low-Food-Chain Species Candidates
Anne Kapuscinski and Deborah Brister were awarded a Packard Grant for their proposal, Organic Aquaculture Practices and Policy: Building Blocks for Environmentally Responsible Aquaculture.

To build on their activities in organic aquaculture, ISEES will convene a Workshop on Alternative Species for Sustainable Aquaculture in July, 2003. The workshop will stimulate interest in species that do not require fishmeal and oil in their diets by evaluating a broad diversity of species for their suitability to organic and sustainable aquaculture.

Program Manager Co-Authors UN/FAO Chapter
Deborah Brister (Sustainable Aquaculture Program Manager) and international aquaculture expert Albert Tacon co-authored an organic aquaculture chapter in a new book, Organic Aquaculture, Environment and Food Security (click here for book abstract). The book is published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Read Brister and Tacon's chapter, "Organic Aquaculture--Current Status and Future Prospects" here. To order the book, go to www.fao.org.

Organic Aquaculture Scorecard
An organic aquaculture scorecard is under development by ISEES Program Manager, Deborah Brister. This scorecard assesses how well current organic aquaculture standards address sustainability an dconsumer demand. Taking a Life-Cycle Assessment approach (from the origin of the product, through production, to product consumption and disposal),Brister has created a scorecard with multiple points of assessment making it easy to view differences and assess equivalency between standards.

To read the abstract for Deborah Brister's presentation to the 2002 Conference on Ecolabels and the Greening of the Food Market (Tufts University), entitled, "Assessing Ecolabeling Standards for Seafood: How do they Measure Up?"click here.

Check back soon for the Scorecards!