TAD Standards Ver 1.0 Public Comment Phase 1

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR RESPONSIBLE TILAPIA AAQCUULTURE Created by the Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue Version 1.0 for public review 29 September 2008 1. INTRODUCTION Seafood is one of the most popular sources ofi np rwotoerldwide. U.S. seafood consumption reached its highest level in 2006 and consumption of seda fogolobally is expected to continue to rise. By volume, almost half of the seafood we eat isa uwghiltd. cBut the other half is from aquaculture – thefastest growing food production system in the w o– rladnd aquaculture’s contribution is expected to continue to rise. There is growing recognition that the aquacultnudreu sitry, not unlike any industry, has both good performers and poor performers. Some producerso rpmer fwell at addressing certain environmental and social concerns, while others mnoaty address these same concerns adequately, but do perform better in other areas. Understa nwdhinicgh producers are performing better at every aspect of production is relevant to the fiscp epcairty interested and to the depth the party understands the impacts of production and whate nthvier onmental and societal effects are. Moreover, these impacts often are generalized teoc iessp, production systems and in some cases geographic region for lack of an appropriate me tohfo danalyzing and deciding what is “better” or “worse”. Nevertheless, the knowledge base is ggr oawnidn the recognition of perceived versus realized impacts has fostered the ...