Good Aquaculture Practices

Aquacultured seafood currently enjoys a reputation worldwide as a safe and wholesome food.  To maintain this status, researchers and investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Seafood are leaving their offices to visit aquaculture farms worldwide. Their goal is to determine what preventive controls (Good Aquaculture Practices, GAPs) are necessary on farms to minimize the potential for farm raised fishery products to be contaminated with pathogens, filth, and unapproved or misused animal drugs. 

Proactive Approach

To emphasize the need for GAPs, it is fair to say that if they were established and implemented worldwide, the aquaculture industry could have avoided the current situation with aquaculture drugs. There would be a worldwide standard for what drugs to use and the proper documentation requirements.

GAPs are intended to not only be proactive in reducing the current potential problems of aquaculture products being contaminated with salmonella and filth, but also to prevent the next surprise issue that will inevitably come around.

Collaborative Research Project

As background on the GAP project, the FDA is conducting a collaborative research project with the aquaculture industry and the government agencies of seven other countries to determine what the microbiological, chemical, and drug use hazards are on aquaculture farms, and how to best control these hazards.

The next step will be to use this information to develop and present training for farm workers as a proactive measure to ensure aquaculture seafood continues to be recognized as a safe wholesome food.

GAPs will only work if they give aquaculture farmers practical and reasonable controls to help them minimize the occurrence of contamination in their products.  That is why FDA is not sitting in their office or research laboratories, and is proactively developing GAPs. 

Study Support and Approval

There is currently universal support and approval of the collaborative study from the international aquaculture industry, government agencies, processors and importers.  In fact now that word has spread, FDA has been overwhelmed with request from aquaculture associations and government to do studies in their countries.  Several countries have even offered to pay FDA’s expenses if they would come do a study in their country. 

The reason for this strong support by the aquaculture industry is simple: this industry clearly understands that it is receiving critical advice and cutting edge recommendations on how to directly and substantially reduce the risk that its products are safe and wholesome.  Each farmer that has participated in this study has benefited directly through the interaction with FDA and other researchers. And we all have gained new friends and a better understanding of each other. 

Thus far, farms in three countries have been studied.  Approximately 100 farms have been sampled and their respective farm managers interviewed.  The overwhelming observational and analytical evidence to date shows that there are reasonable and practical solutions farmers can implement to reduce fecal coliforms and the potential of salmonella on their farms. The two most important solutions are a holding pond to reduce the number of fecal coliforms (and consequently the chance for salmonella) in the source water, and protecting ponds from animal and human activity.   

Upcoming Report

A factual report on the possible sources of microbiological and chemical contamination at aquaculture sites is expected in the fall of 2003.  “Train the trainer” education for farmers will follow and will be a collaborative effort by the U.S. FDA, other country government agencies, academia, GAA, and, of course, the aquaculture industry that is heavily involved in this effort worldwide.

Conclusion

Perceived safety, wholesomeness, and the nutritional value of a food product greatly influence consumer-buying decisions. The entire aquaculture industry would benefit with widespread producer commitment to implementing GAPs.   Implementing GAPs on every farm will help the industry protect – and even expand - its markets by reducing the risk of incidents that could erode consumer confidence in the safety, quality, and wholesomeness of aquaculture products.

Inserts:

“GAPs are intended to not only be proactive in reducing the current potential problems of aquaculture products being contaminated with salmonella and filth, but also to prevent the next surprise issue that will inevitably come around..”

“The two most important solutions are a holding pond to reduce the number of fecal coliforms (and consequently the chance for salmonella) in the source water, and protecting ponds from animal and human activity.”

Reference: Good Aquaculture for farmer; U.S. Food and Drug Administration