ASC implements planned requirements on plastic disposal
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Sven-Olof Malmqvist Good deeds pay off in the long run
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here are quite an extensive amount of aquafeed producers in the world, but some companies differ, at least I believe so. One of these is Aller Aqua, as shown by their activities in Africa. Apart from the normal production of feed, sales and marketing they also try to achieve something extra in the community in which they are operating. They are also using different social platforms, telling everyone who wants to know what they are actually doing. They also involve themselves in education, both locally and internationally. Maybe there are other companies doing the same thing but not telling the public in the same way as Aller Aqua is? Another company doing a good job in Africa is Skretting, setting up catfish production on a small scale in Nigeria, together with the local government and various NGO’s , universities and other stakeholders. I know there is one big feed company in Bangladesh doing the same thing, helping the smallholders with education, and also financing, in order to start up individual business. I would like to challenge the big companies to compete on the world stage with numerous activities to stimulate production and progress, irrespective of what type of production it is and where it is. For those who has been reading my previous columns, you may remember my failure with crayfish production in one of my ponds at the farm, due to the drought earlier in the summer, which actually dried it out totally and my dream of having my own crayfishes died out as well. But I am happy to inform you that after some rain the water level is back to normal, and the other day I spotted at least one survivor! It will be rather interesting to find out next year if the lone crayfish gets more friends? It gives you the insight how important water is for all life but also tells you how strong the instinct to survive is. Sven Olof is an experienced export manager with a demonstrated history of working in the chemicals industry. He is skilled in marketing management, market planning, business planning, international business and sales management. He is a strong sales profession who graduated from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Malmoe.
n the ongoing fight against plastic waste in the aquaculture industry, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) have now implemented specific requirements for farms to properly dispose of plastics and aquaculture gear. They are also the first and only aquaculture body to join the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI). The GGGI is an alliance of organisations working to find solutions to the problem of lost, abandoned or discarded fishing gear – known as ghost gear. While the issue of ghost gear from fisheries entering the oceans has been well documented, and it is known that every year at least 640,000 tons of ghost gear is left in the oceans, the impact made by fish farms remains unexplored. The ASC’s knowledge and influence in the aquaculture industry will help widen the impact of GGGI to include fish farms, and ASC will learn from the experiences of its GGGI partners with an eye towards applying lessons learned to aquaculture production.
“As with fisheries, plastics are have become increasingly important materials for much of the equipment used in aquaculture, such as nets, pens, and buoys. Many of these materials have allowed big improvements in efficiency and productivity of the sector. But with so much plastic entering our oceans we decided that action was required to assess how aquaculture can reduce the impacts of plastic from the sector,” said Marcelo Hidalgo, Standards and Certification Coordinator for ASC, who is leading the work. “We’re excited to have the Aquaculture Stewardship Council join the Global Ghost Gear Initiative. Aquaculture is a huge part of the industry and it’s wonderful to see ASC wanting to engage proactively on the issue of gear loss,” said Joel Baziuk, GGGI Secretariat. “We’re looking forward to working together to find solutions to lost gear in the aquaculture sector in addition to our ongoing work in wild capture fisheries.” ASC has begun comprehensive research into the most commonplace and highest-risk plastics used in aquaculture equipment, and new criteria on plastic disposal are currently being drafted ahead of a public consultation. With ten standards covering over 700 ASC-certified farms on six continents, when the criteria are approved it will have a global impact on the disposal of plastics and aquaculture gear by the aquaculture industry.
16 | December 2018 - International Aquafeed