How criticism made fish farming better

Being criticized has made us better fish farmers.

That may be an unpopular opinion, especially in an industry that has faced decades of environmental scrutiny. Fish farmers, and farmers more broadly, can easily feel frustrated by the negative attention agriculture receives from environmental groups, regulators and the public.

Trust us, we have felt that way too.

But over time, our perspective has changed. We have come to recognize that many of those difficult questions and criticisms helped push aquaculture to become the proven, transparent and sustainable food sector it is today.

Scrutiny created stronger standards

Without public and regulatory pressure, aquaculture may never have developed rigorous third-party certification programs such as Best Aquaculture Practices.

These certifications are not simply logos that companies can place on their packaging. Farms and processors must undergo detailed independent audits covering many parts of the business, including:

• Environmental responsibility
• Fish health and welfare
• Food safety
• Employee health and safety
• Community relationships
• Record keeping and traceability
• Continuous improvement

The audits require a significant amount of work, preparation and documentation. They also force us to take a close look at our own practices and identify where we can improve.

At the end of the process, an independent third party has verified that we are farming with the interests of our fish, employees, environment and community in mind.

From our decades of experience raising fish, we also know that healthy fish raised in a healthy environment produce a better-tasting dinner.

Certification helps separate proof from promises

Words such as sustainable, regenerative, responsible, ethical and humane are now used throughout the food industry.

Those words can describe meaningful farming practices, but consumers are often left trying to determine what each claim actually means and whether there is any evidence behind it.

Credible certification programs help answer those questions.

They give customers confidence that we are not simply using environmental buzzwords or greenwashing our products. They provide measurable standards and outside verification that we are genuinely investing in sustainability, transparency and continuous improvement.

These certifications also reward farms that make those investments. Many major retailers now require seafood suppliers to hold recognized environmental and food-safety certifications before they will purchase their products.

That means responsible farming is not only encouraged. It is increasingly expected.

Short-term pain, long-term gain

Fish farmers can now celebrate some of the world’s most credible environmental certification programs because our industry has faced decades of questions, criticism and oversight.

That scrutiny has not always been comfortable or fair. However, it has helped create stronger farms, clearer standards and greater accountability.

In many ways, it has been short-term pain for long-term gain.

As agriculture receives more public attention in the social media age, we hope other food sectors will continue developing credible, independent programs that help support their claims.

Farmers deserve recognition when they are doing things properly, and shoppers deserve clear information they can trust.

That would SHORE make grocery shopping easier for everyone. 🐟🐂🐓🐖