Code of Conduct
ACWA promotes and supports adherence to the code of conduct by all participants in Western Australian aquaculture industry. By folloing these standards the aquaculture industry will demonstrate the that its a truly regenerative industry that is developing sustainable Western Australian regional communities.
Principles of the aquaculture industry
To maintain ecological and economic sustainability, the aquaculture industry has adopted a set of principles that form the basis or underlying philosophy for the Code of Conduct:
Ecologically sustainable development
Economic viability
Long term protection of the environment to ensure availability of suitable sites for aquaculture operations
Compliance with, and auditing of adherence to, regulations and the Code of Conduct
Resource sharing and consideration of the other users of the environment
Research and development to support the achievement of the above five priorities.
These principles provide the industry with the mechanism to implement the Code of Conduct as well as providing specific sectors or regions of the industry with the necessary framework for developing their own Codes of Practice.
The Code
Industry will work in conjunction with government and other stakeholders to ensure that aquaculture developments are managed sustainably (ecologically and economically) and that their considerable social, economic and environmental advantages are achieved. This will be accomplished through five guiding principles for environmental best practice.
For the aquaculture industry to be ecologically and economically sustainable, aquaculturists will:
Comply with regulations
Respect the rights and safety of others
Protect the environment
Treat aquatic animals humanely
Promote the safety of seafood and other aquatic foods for human consumption
To comply with the regulations aquaculturists will:
Support practical and cost effective strategies to ensure that relevant environmental performance standards are monitored and met
Promote appropriate incentives for responsible environmental performance and advocate sanctions for non-compliance
Promote effective consultative mechanisms with governments, the community and other users
Expand self management and co-regulation to include industry-based codes of practice that specifically address environmental issues
To respect the rights and safety of others aquaculturists will:
Recognise the needs of other users of the waterways and promote methods to minimise user conflicts
Recognise that the use of public resources confers responsibility on the user
Encourage consultation with the community and other users of the waterways to enable legitimate concerns and issues to be raised and solutions proposed
Advocate that the farm sites and infrastructure be kept clean and tidy and noise impacts minimised
Promote goodwill in the local community and provide for farm visits and other opportunities for education and tourism
Recognise and promote the community benefit from monitoring and reporting on the state of the aquatic environment
Advocate the installation of appropriate navigational markers and other measures to prevent accidents
To protect the environment aquaculturists will:
Encourage the development and operation of aquaculture in a manner and at a rate in accordance with ecologically sustainable principles
Support a total catchment approach based on natural resources management which arrests degradation and provides improved outcomes for the sustainable resource use through effective co-operation between government agencies and the community
Promote industry training and education opportunities in environmental awareness, clean production methods and best practice
Recognise the importance of good site selection, system design and infrastructure to minimise ecosystem changes
Monitor and regularly review on-farm management practices to minimise the risk of ecological damage
Minimise and, where practicable, eliminate the use of agriculture and veterinary chemicals
Ensure the correct use and disposal of registered chemicals
Support the development and use of diets and feeding strategies which minimise adverse impacts
Adopt farm design and on-farm management practices that encourage integration, recycling and reuse of effluents
Provide for disposal or / and processing of wastes to minimise the risk of ecological damage
Continue to work with the authorities to control the spread of exotic species
Continue the development of protocols for dealing with genetically modified material, with
particular reference to the capacity of these organisms to produce progeny or genetically modified material themselves
Work in association with governments to develop appropriate protocols regarding the transfer and culture of exotic species and the translocation of live product within and between states
Support the maintenance of precise records regarding the transfer or translocation of stock between areas or operations
To treat aquatic animals humanely aquaculturists will:
Seek the development of on-farm expertise in health management and ecological sustainability
Promote the maintenance of efficient and sustainable stocking densities
Address the physical and biological requirements of the species to be farmed
Encourage the installation of anti-predator devices designed to exclude predators without deliberately injuring them
Seek methods to transfer and harvest which reduce stress to stock
Endorse the use of humane slaughter methods
Support the development of appropriate contingency plans to deal with unplanned releases of aquaculture species / stock, or the spread of diseases, parasites and other pathogens
Encourage the immediate reporting of any mass mortalities of stock or other environmental problems to the relevant agencies and the containment of diseased or infected stock
Identify responsibilities for environmental monitoring proportionate to possible environmental risk and benefits
Provide guidelines on reporting and analysis of findings, taking into account the costs and benefits of such monitoring
Promote the correct disposal of dead stock in a manner which will not render the likelihood of any disease or pathogen being released into natural waterways
Encourage research and development programs that are funded and supported jointly by industry and governments to expand knowledge and understanding of aquaculture operations and their environmental interactions
To promote the safety of seafood and other aquatic foods for human consumption
aquaculturists will:
Support the maintenance, and expansion where necessary, of chemical residue testing as well as shellfish and other quality assurance programs
Endorse compliance with the requirements of the National Food Hygiene Standards
Encourage the continued adoption of internationally recognised food quality standards
Highlight the sensitivity of the waterways to pollution and its resultant effects on the quality and safety of seafoods
Support the maintenance of precise records regarding the transfer of products destined for human consumption between all links in the distribution and marketing chain
Support the use of accurate product labelling
The Code of Conduct and why it is needed
With a clean environment and freedom form many of the major diseases experienced in the northern hemisphere, Australian aquaculturists have a strong competitive marketing advantage. Our ‘clean and green’ image has allowed many of our aquaculture products to command premium prices.
Clean water also means faster growing and healthier fish. Hence, environmental protection is a major priority for the industry, as it relies on the provision of clean waters for its livelihood. Poor site selection, insufficient capital investment, deficient farm design, inadequate public administration, or inappropriate management may mean that some aquaculture operations cause environmental change. Through the peak national body, the National Aquaculture Council (NAC) the industry is committed to implementing farming practices based on ecologically sustainable development principles. Recognition of the need for aquaculture to play a major role in protecting the marine, estuarine and freshwaters of Australia led to the development of this Code of Conduct.
The Code of Conduct evolved out of a 15-month consultation process involving more than 350 representatives from industry, government, environmental interest groups, Aboriginal groups and other stakeholders with a commitment to the sustainable management of Australia’s aquatic environment.
This Code is voluntary, except in so far as parts of the Code may have been given, or may be give, binding legal effect by means of legislation. On behalf of the wider Australian aquaculture industry, the NAC national and state member associations have prepared and endorsed this Code’s 43 points to provide minimum standards for environmental performance. NAC will encourage all aquaculturists to adopt this Code as a statement of the industry’s commitment to ecologically sustainable development.
The preparation and distribution of this Code is one of the first steps in a strategy promoting correct environmental practices within the aquaculture industry. The guiding principles outlined in the Code of Conduct will provide specific sectors or regions of the industry with a framework in which they can develop their own Codes of Practice, with a focus on ecological and economic sustainability for their particular culture species, site or culture operation.