WWF uses several approaches to reduce the environmental and social impacts of aquaculture -- the fastest growing food production system in the world. One approach is a series of roundtables -- called Dialogues -- wherein standards for an eco-label for a dozen fish species are being developed. WWF also works in key geographic areas around the world to reduce the impacts (or improve the performance) of aquaculture producers.

For more information about the impacts from aquaculture read our Aquaculture Dialogues Overview.

This work includes:

• Madagascar: WWF is working with the Groupement des Aquaculteurs et Pêcheurs de Crevettes de Madagascar to create a countrywide set of standards that will be mandatory for producers. A group of key stakeholders is developing the standards, using the International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming as a guideline. The principles were developed by the Shrimp Aquaculture and the Environment Consortium, a partnership that included WWF, FAO, the Network of Aquaculture Centres Asia Pacific, World Bank and United Nations Environment Programme. WWF also is negotiating its first transformation partnership with a developing country company - Groupe UNIMA - to reduce the impacts of their production of shrimp and cashew nutes.
• Belize: WWF and the Belize Shrimp Growers Association are developing a set of standards similar to those being created in Madagascar. WWF will be convening a stakeholder meeting in Belize this fall to identify criteria, indicators and standards based on the International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming.
• Vietnam: WWF is promoting best management practices for aquaculture, with an emphasis on basa and tra, and researching the potential for sustainable aquaculture as an alternative income generation activity.
• Chile: We are creating a Chilean salmon dialogue sub-group because the salmon industry is changing more rapidly in Chile than anywhere else in the world. The Chilean government is supporting a three-year project to support a local dialogue, benchmark Chilean salmon aquaculture performance against global norms and explore the potential of polyculture with bi-valves to reduce the impacts of salmon aquaculture.
• India: In partnership with NACA, WWF is creating aquaclubs - similar to cooperatives - for small-scale producers. Since 2002, this program has helped remove the use of all chemicals and antibiotics at fish farms and reduce disease outbreaks by 95 percent, while increasing income by more than 400 percent. We also are engaged in India in developing standards that can be adopted by small farmers.
• Indonesia: In Aceh, WWF is working with FAO, International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank, American Red Cross and various other donor and development agencies to promote and facilitate sustainable aquaculture rehabilitation.
• Thailand: WWF is working with the Department of Fisheries to harmonize the agency's code of conduct certification program with the standards produced from the Shrimp Aquaculture and Environment Consortium.

Although not related to a particular species or place, WWF has been asked by the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization to convene a roundtable to develop consensus and global standards regarding sustainable reduction fisheries, which represent 35 percent of global catch. More than 50 percent of all fishmeal and 80 percent of all fish oil are used by aquaculture. WWF wants to include sustainable fish meal and oil as a requirement for feed ingredients for aquaculture.

For more information, please contact us at Aquacultureinfo@wwfus.org.