Best Aquaculture Practice’s (BAP) mission is to be the most trusted certification body for farmed fish in the world, embracing and enabling the role of responsibly farmed fish while meeting global nutrition needs. They certify 1% of global farmed fish, which equates to hundreds of millions of fish each year.

Although BAP intends to work towards welfare improvements in the future and has updated its animal welfare standards as recently as March 2021, these are still inadequate to ensure good welfare for farmed fish. To be a globally trusted certification scheme they need to drastically update and strengthen their current fish welfare standards.

Enough space for fish to swim?

No, BAP does not ensure that the fish they certify have enough space for good welfare in fish farms. BAP does not ask farmers to enforce a maximum number of fish per square metre for any species other than Atlantic Salmon – and even this number is far higher than what Compassion recommends that the fish need for good welfare.

Steps taken to reduce antibiotic use?

BAP has taken some adequate steps to reduce the use of antibiotics on certified farms. BAP does not allow fish farms to use antibiotics as a preventative measure for disease with vet oversight, which increases the risk of antibiotic resistance. Also, the use of antibiotics as growth promoters is prohibited but the routine use of antibiotics is not specifically prohibited and the use of antimicrobials that the World Health Organization (WHO) categorizes as ‘critically important’ to human medicine can be used in some circumstances.

Are farmers prohibited from harming wildlife, e.g. seals and dolphins?

No, BAP permits farmers to harm wildlife to keep them out of their fish farms. Although BAP does encourage farmers to use non-lethal methods to deter wildlife from approaching their farms, killing the animals is permitted when those options are ineffective. They also allow the use of acoustic deterrent devices – a device that uses harmful sound waves to deter dolphins and whales, with potentially devastating consequences on their hearing. However, they do require an effective predator control plan with records of mortalities, dates, and species, and the killing of endangered species is prohibited.

Starving of fish kept to a minimum?

No, BAP does not specify a maximum limit time without feed for farmed fish. As a result, farmers are permitted to starve fish for days or even weeks. These fish suffer from hunger and frustration which can also result in aggression.

Do the fish have enrichment?

No, BAP does not require enrichment for farmed fish. Barren farm environments limit the expression of natural behaviours, resulting in negative impacts on the physical and mental health of the fish.

Steps taken to reduce the use of wild-caught fish as feed?

BAP does have some recommendations in place to reduce excessive use of wild-caught fish for feed. BAP recommends the use of trimmings (by-products of the fishing industry), feed ingredients coming from land sources, wild-caught fish for feed coming from ‘responsibly managed’ fisheries, and encourages an overall reduction of feed being sourced from wild-caught fish. However, more active steps are needed to reduce the demand for wild-caught fish in farmed fish feeds.

Fast and painless slaughter?

Although humane slaughter is required in BAP’s standards, they do not specify the methods of stunning or killing that should be used for each species. Each species is physiologically unique and requires a different stunning and slaughter method to ensure the process is fast and painless. Without species specific standards, countless fish could endure painful deaths for that can last over an hour. However, carbon dioxide exposure in water, a cruel and slow slaughter method, is prohibited.