When asked about seafood sustainability, what comes to mind? Environmental responsibility? Social responsibility? Animal welfare? While all three are pillars of seafood sustainability, there’s a fourth pillar that, unfortunately, is often left out of the equation — food safety. Food safety refers to the handling, preparing and storing of food in a way that reduces the
June 8th is World Oceans Day, a global day of celebration and collaboration established to create a better future for the world’s oceans. The oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. They cover nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s surface and contain 97% of the world’s water. They also produce half of the oxygen in the
The Global Aquaculture Alliance wants you to celebrate World Oceans Day with responsible seafood. Choosing sustainably farmed seafood takes pressure off precious ocean resources. Let’s break it down: Throughout history, we’ve relied on the oceans to provide essential nutrients, including seafood. The growing demand for seafood (there will be 9.6 billion residents on Earth by
Editor’s note: The following talking points further explain the concept of Global Seafood Assurances, the new, independent, not-for-profit organization that the Global Aquaculture Alliance launched at Seafood Expo Global in April. What is GSA? Global Seafood Assurances (GSA) is a new, independent, not-for-profit organization launched to provide comprehensive, credible supply-chain assurances for farm-raised and wild-caught
The Global Aquaculture Alliance is delighted to announce that one of its documentary short films by GAA Films won an award at the Mexico International Film Festival. The announcement came on May 31 at a screening of GAA Films’ four documentary short films at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland, Maine. Held
GAA Films, the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s documentary short film initiative, has debuted its fourth episode. Titled “Aloha for This Place,” the eight-minute episode follows the lives of three young fish farmers living on the Big Island of Hawaii. The episode explores what “being Hawaiian” means to these non-native residents and how farming fish affects their
Six years ago, the Global Aquaculture Alliance established the Global Aquaculture Innovation Award to recognize individuals and companies finding new solutions to the key challenges facing aquaculture. So what is an aquaculture innovation? Examples include technologies that mitigate the occurrence of animal diseases or parasites, or that reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics to
Most of us are aware of seafood’s nutritional benefits. It’s high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 and low in saturated fat. It’s an ideal source of minerals such as iodine, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Seafood provides more than 3.1 billion people with almost 20 percent of their average
As the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s magazine celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we thought we’d take the opportunity to thank our loyal readers for years of support while familiarizing new readers with what the Global Aquaculture Advocate has to offer. Mission Based From its humble beginnings in George Chamberlain’s living room in St. Louis to GAA’s
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) has issued the following talking points to help its supporters talk about what GAA and its industry-leading Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program are doing to prevent labor abuse in the seafood supply chain: • GAA is fully committed to social responsibility as one of the pillars of its BAP
A burgeoning middle class. A more health conscious society. The emergence of e-commerce. Seafood consumption is poised to continue to grow in the years to come, thanks to favorable demographic shifts and technological advancements that are improving accessibility to food. Yet the reality of a world with finite resources and a global population that is
The growth of the seaweed aquaculture industry is good for the economy and good for the ocean. The process of growing seaweed is environmentally friendly. Apart from planting the seeds and ensuring the seaweed is in a clean environment, seaweed often does not need feed or additional attention. The plants can grow naturally. Seaweed farms
This luscious shrimp chowder recipe is brimming with hearty flavors. But unlike most seafood chowders, you won’t find cream or butter in the recipe. Every spoonful of this Shrimp and Sweet Potato Chowder gets you one slurp closer to eating (and enjoying) the recommended two seafood meals each week. But even better is the simplicity
Get to Know a Fish that Just About Everyone Likes Barramundi is renowned for its great taste and suitability for tropical ocean farming. It offers compelling health benefits and one of the best sustainability profiles of any fish. This has earned barramundi its reputation as “the perfect fish for a changing world.” Barramundi is
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we all consume at least two seafood meals a week. For pregnant and nursing women, that recommendation is even higher: two to three seafood meals a week. Seafood contains a powerhouse of nutrients including lean protein, antioxidants like selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids, which play a positive role in keeping our
The Global Aquaculture Alliance has launched new social responsibility aquaculture courses. Written by social development consultant Birgitte Krogh-Poulsen, a member of GAA’s Standards Oversight Committee, the courses address social responsibility as an essential element of aquaculture. The course lessons cover fundamental labor rights, worker safety and health, and community relations. The course lessons are geared
Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) invites all to explore its newest digital asset, a two-minute animation illustrating the BAP third-party certification program and its many attributes for aquaculture professionals and sustainable seafood enthusiasts. The animation was designed to provide answers to common questions about BAP and its role in the responsible aquaculture movement, including: Where
When we talk about aquaculture, we often forget to discuss aquatic plants, particularly seaweed. Seaweed is an essential part of the aquaculture industry and continues to rise in importance every year. Global aquatic plant production more than doubled between 2000 and 2014 to a total of 27.31 million tons, wet-weight (1). For perspective, that weighs more