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NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF AQUATIC ANIMAL TASK FORCE

Baltimore, MD, September 21, 2000 -- National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Chairman Bob Anderson today announced the formation of an Aquatic Animal Task Force and two related working groups to advise the NOSB in the consideration of organic certification standards for operations that produce aquatic animals. The NOSB defines aquatic animals as any finfish or shellfish used for human consumption, whether taken from regulated but free roaming marine and fresh water populations ("wild harvested" or propagated and raised in a controlled or selected environment ("aquaculture"). The Task Force includes six members of the NOSB and two non-NOSB members who serve as chairs of working groups on wild harvest and aquaculture production systems.

The NOSB members serving on the Aquatic Animal Task Force are Bob Anderson, Carolyn Brickey, Rebecca Goldburg, Steven Harper, William Lockeretz, and Eric Sideman. The wild harvest working group is chaired by Miles McEvoy, Organic Program Manager for the State of Washington and includes Carolyn Brickey, Steven Harper, William Lockeretz, Katherine DiMatteo of Greenfield, MA, Paul Peyton of Juneau, AK, David Gould of Portland, Oregon, John Papalardo of North Chatham, MA, Chris Dorsett of New Orleans, LA, Jan Konigsberg of Anchorage, AK, Zeke Grader of San Francisco, CA, Jim Riddle of Winona, MN, and Jim Humphreys of Seattle, WA.

The aquaculture working group is chaired by Margaret Wittenberg, Vice President for Governmental and Public Affairs for Whole Foods Market, Inc. and includes Rebecca Goldburg, Eric Sideman, Dan Butterfield of Tuscaloosa, AL, George Lockwood of Carmel Valley, CA, Chris Duffy of Portsmouth, NH, Richard Nelson of Murray, UT, Gary Fornshell of Moscow, ID, John Hargreaves of Mississippi State, MS, Robin Downey of Olympia WA, and Deborah Brister of St. Paul, MN.

Proceeding independently, the wild harvest and aquaculture working groups will evaluate the appropriateness and suitability of organic standards for aquatic animal production systems. Their evaluation will include the origin of the aquatic animals being produced, the source and content of the aquatic animal diet, the environmental impact of the production system, and the potential for contact between aquatic animals and prohibited substances. The Task Force will consider all analyses forwarded by the working groups, and prepare its own recommendation to submit to the NOSB. At the time that the Task Force forwards its conclusions to the NOSB, those recommendations will be made available for public review and comment. The NOSB will take the Task Force recommendations and public comment under consideration while developing its own recommendations for the National Organic Program. The Task Force has tentatively scheduled the working groups to complete their analyses by November 15, release of the Task Force recommendations by January 15, 2001, thereby enabling the NOSB make its own recommendations at a potential Board meeting in June, 2001.