We were in contact with you in 2024 in relation to our shrimp investigation.
We are contacting you now regarding our ongoing investigation into aquaculture and the global fishmeal and fish oil industry, which has uncovered an array of industry-wide environmental and human rights concerns. These concerns date from between 2018 and the present, and they pertain to events or conditions on land or at sea.
Best Aquaculture Practices is one of the most popular certification programs for farmed seafood. Nongovernmental organizations and academic researchers have put forward several critiques of th…
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I’ve provided the requested input below (in red). Please let me know if you require anything further.
Question 1: In a 2024 report that named both Best Aquaculture Practices and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, the Corporate Accountability Lab concluded: “While the standards in these voluntary industry programs are laudable, they are regularly violated, including in certified facilities.” What steps has the Global Seafood Alliance taken to ensure that certified facilities haven’t broken the rules?
[Response:] Although the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) is the s…
Thank you very much for your email dated January 5, 2026, and for the GSA’s detailed responses to our questions.
We’ve read through the responses and have a few further questions for the GSA: 1.) You mention in your recent reply that “GSA is the standard holder for the program, but auditors are assigned by a third-party certification body to conduct the on-site annual audits. In other words, GSA is removed from the auditing and certification decision process.”
Your email seems to cite at least three different types of stakeholders in this industry: standard holders, which is what you say y…
Thank you for the opportunity to provide further comments.
-GSA actively collaborates with stakeholders across industry, NGO, and government sectors to support the organization’s mission. Certification is a significant aspect of this; however, collaboration, education, and innovation are also extremely important.
-The BAP audit process does include thorough checks for adherence to standard clauses prior to certification being granted. In 2025, BAP and BSP facilities corrected a total of 7,370 non-conformities that were discovered during the audit. All non-conformities must be corrected be…