Thanks to outstanding support from the public, conservation organizations, and consumer advocacy groups, the United States National Organic Standards Board voted on much stronger feed and net pen standards. Standards that will not let business-as-usual salmon farming slap on an organic label.

The use of wild fish in feed will be limited to trimmings and waste from environmentally responsible fisheries. And the ratio of fish in feed to farmed fish produced cannot be greater than 1:1. This excludes high-trophic fish like salmon and tuna. When farmed these fish are a drain on global fish protein.

Net pens will not be allowed where they could impact the reproduction or migratory routes of wild fish or other marine life. This is great news for wild salmon. Other standards reqiure 50% nutrient cycling to limit pollution and only allow native species to be grown in net pens. CAAR still views net pens as a very risky technology, but the organic standards board has at least tried to put safeguards in place. The standards to limit escapes, disease and parasite transfer as well as reducing harm to marine life will be very difficult for net pen producers to meet.

But these recommended standards still need to go through the United States Department of Agriculture approval process. If you see an 'organic' label on farmed salmon it still does not mean it is a better, more sustainable choice.

'Organic' standards in Quebec and Europe allow environmentally damaging practices such as open net-cages and chemical treatments for parasites and diseases to still be used.  Practices that do not meet consumer expectations of organic. Canada is not yet considering national organic aquaculture standards.

In the United Kingdom, the Soil Association chose to permanently certify farmed salmon using standards that still allowed all of the above problems to persist. In response the chairman, Lawrence Woodward, resigned from his position stating: "Salmon farming in cages has nothing at all to do with organic principles. It is very regrettable that the Soil Association has gone down this line of trying to certify something that is so distant from the principles."¹

Solutions

Rather than compromising organic standards to fit the needs of salmon farming, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform is working to improve the sustainability of the industry as a whole by fostering a transition from open net-cages to closed containment systems.

Closed containment technology would minimize if not entirely eliminate many of the environmental problems associated with open net-cage fish farms such as escapes, spread of sea lice, and interactions with marine predators that organic aquaculture standards cannot adequately address.

In 2007, 19 organizations signed on to a request to the Certified Organic Association of BC (COABC) asking them to commit to subjecting revised organic aquaculture standards to a full public review process if they choose to proceed with development. Read CAAR’s Joint letter to the COABC(pdf).

Download the CAAR factsheet on Organic Farmed Salmon? (pdf)

 Read CAAR's comments to the Board (pdf) on November 3, 2008.

References
¹ BBC News (Oct. 2006) Concern over organic salmon farms.