Fish farmers, retailers and processersthat operate in the tra and basa fish (pangasius) industry got togetheron August 5 to discuss the world’s first-ever draft on standards forpangasius farming.
The two-day workshop was also attended by experts from the WorldWildlife Fund’s Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue group (PAD), who haveworked with local people to help draw up the guidelines.
Work on the standards started in 2007 at the WWF initiative. Since thenthey have collected opinions from every party involved in the pangasiusfarming industry with the aim of introducing internationally acceptedstandards that both protect the environment and benefit society.
The standards will be applied to two types of fish raised in Vietnamfrom 2011: the tra fish (pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and the basa(pangasius bocourti).
The regulations are expected to address both environmental and socialissues arising from fish farming, from legal compliance to the use ofland and water, water pollution, the management of feed and chemicals,safety and the health of pangasius farmers.
Hundreds of Vietnamese farmers, mostly small operations, have joined inthe formulation of the draft standards, which are being developed in anopen and transparent manner that is in line with the guidelines issuedby the International Social and Environmental Accreditation andLabelling Alliance (ISEAL).
Flavio Corsin, a WWF Vietnam Senior Aquaculture Advisor, underlined theimportance of the standards as he said “the world demand for pangasiusis rising fast and Vietnam is one of the world’s major suppliers.”
According to the Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters andProcessors (VASEP), farmed pangasius in Vietnam leapt to 1.1 milliontonnes last year from 400,000 tonnes in 2005, earning the country 1.4billion USD in revenue.
The WWF has so far organised eight similar seminars, to gather opinionsfrom over 2,000 people on how to formulate farming standards for 12types of seafood./.
The two-day workshop was also attended by experts from the WorldWildlife Fund’s Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue group (PAD), who haveworked with local people to help draw up the guidelines.
Work on the standards started in 2007 at the WWF initiative. Since thenthey have collected opinions from every party involved in the pangasiusfarming industry with the aim of introducing internationally acceptedstandards that both protect the environment and benefit society.
The standards will be applied to two types of fish raised in Vietnamfrom 2011: the tra fish (pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and the basa(pangasius bocourti).
The regulations are expected to address both environmental and socialissues arising from fish farming, from legal compliance to the use ofland and water, water pollution, the management of feed and chemicals,safety and the health of pangasius farmers.
Hundreds of Vietnamese farmers, mostly small operations, have joined inthe formulation of the draft standards, which are being developed in anopen and transparent manner that is in line with the guidelines issuedby the International Social and Environmental Accreditation andLabelling Alliance (ISEAL).
Flavio Corsin, a WWF Vietnam Senior Aquaculture Advisor, underlined theimportance of the standards as he said “the world demand for pangasiusis rising fast and Vietnam is one of the world’s major suppliers.”
According to the Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters andProcessors (VASEP), farmed pangasius in Vietnam leapt to 1.1 milliontonnes last year from 400,000 tonnes in 2005, earning the country 1.4billion USD in revenue.
The WWF has so far organised eight similar seminars, to gather opinionsfrom over 2,000 people on how to formulate farming standards for 12types of seafood./.
