Federal Organic Aquaculture Recommendations Due in May

The parallel rising demands for organic food and aquaculture products may soon converge. The US National Organic Standards Board is scheduled to announce during a May 20-22, 2008, meeting in Baltimore more components of its proposed standards for organic aquaculture products. You can get an early look at some of the nuances of the proposals at:

• NOSB Livestock Committee recommendation on the use of fish meal and fish oil in organic aquaculture.
• Livestock Committee and Crops Committee Joint recommendation on farmed aquatic plants in organic aquaculture.

These recommendations may be different when presented in Baltimore, says the Organic Consumers Association's Ronnie Cummins.

• Organic Consumers Association: 218-226-4164; OCA Letter to the NOSB and Comments on Aquaculture Standards to NOSB by Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform.

The topics to be covered in Baltimore are part of a larger package of issues to be addressed in the standards, which were published for public review in 2007. Some of the hot topics that have remained on the table as negotiations continued are the use of wild fish as food, since they can't be proven to be organic, and using them would further deplete wild fish stocks; the use of open net pens that may allow escape of fish and diseases; and the use of fish certified as organic in other countries as food for US fish, since foreign standards may allow more contamination than US standards. The Pure Salmon Campaign's Dave Bard says the last issue, at least, remains a bone of contention.

• Pure Salmon Campaign: Dave Bard, 202-486-4426.

After the Baltimore meeting, it's uncertain what the timing will be on a final standard for organic aquaculture, in part because a few issues, such as standards for mollusks and the use of open net pens, remain undecided, says Environmental Defense Fund's Becky Goldburg, 212-616-1236, who is a member of the NOSB Aquaculture Working Group.

Other resources include:

• National Aquaculture Association: Randy MacMillan, 304-728-2167.
• National Organic Standards Board, Aquaculture Working Group (includes links to members - primarily from the industry, but also from universities and the Environmental Defense Fund - and background information).
• NOSB Crops Committee.
• NOSB Livestock Committee.
• Information on May 20-22, 2008, meeting in Baltimore.
• US EPA.
• TipSheet of November 26, 2003.