|
 

Aquaculture

Features

Organic aquaculture is another important food production alternative with a great potential for development, mainly due to the growing interest of consumers in foods produced and processed in an environmentally friendly way.

The aquaculture program includes different production ways, in freshwater or seawater, and a variety of species.

OIA’s organic standards comprehend the production of carnivore, omnivore and herbivore organisms in all growth stages in any type of systems, either close or open (ponds, tanks and enclosures).

All natural organisms in different catching areas can be certified as organic/biologic/ecologic.

The time between the beginning of the process and obtaining the organic condition for aquaculture products is known as period of transition (or conversion).

The period of transition varies according to the type of production, production time, biological characteristics of organisms, geographical conditions, environmental factors, etc.

What are the advantages of this certification?
  • It provides reliability to consumers, since the use of sanitary treatments and conventional antibiotics is minorized.
  • Access to differentiated trading channels
  • Sustainability to the environment
  • Preservation of hydro biological species
Who can obtain this certification?

All aquaculture production facilities registered according to the national regulations of the country where they operate.

How is the Organic Aquaculture certification process?
  1. The process starts when the producer introduces to OIA the project to be certified.
  2. After the certification request and signature of contract between OIA and the customer, there is an exchange of documents and information as required by the certification program.
  3. After the inspection, an inspection report is made and there may or may not appear non-compliances. The customer is certified after a positive report without non-compliances.
  4. Then, the cycle restarts for supervision.

Wild organisms that move freely in open water and cannot be inspected according to the organic aquaculture standards, can alternatively be evaluated by the OIA-MSC program for sustainable fisheries.

FAQs

What are the organic aquaculture products?

They are products obtained by sustainable production systems. This is accomplished by means of:

  • rational use of natural resources
  • no use of synthetic chemical products
  • increasing and/or maintaining biodiversity
  • registers which document the applied management

An organic product must have identity and integrity and hold a certification.

Why to produce and consume organic aquaculture products?

For the producer:

  • It maintains the system sustainability without polluting it.
  • Access to markets with a differentiated product.

For the consumer:

  • Food products with organic quality guarantee.
  • Indirect care of environment.
  • Identified and guaranteed products.
Who certifies organic aquaculture?

OIA as a certifying entity provides this certification as a result of its international accreditations. OIA verifies and controls the compliance of organic aquaculture standards. Finally, the certification seal is provided to those aquaculture products which comply with the standards requirements and the corresponding certificate is issued.

What are OIA’s accreditations to certify organic products?
OIA holds many national and international accreditations and authorizations. For more details, please see Accreditations.
Can I export to the European Union products certified by OIA?

Yes, OIA has been recognized by EU Regulation No. 508 to issue certificates destined to the European Union without needing re-certifications.

Where can I get a list of permitted and prohibited inputs?

The Organic Aquaculture Standard has a list of permitted and prohibited inputs.

How can I market an organic aquaculture product?

It can be marketed always with a certificate support, which shows the compliance of the organic aquaculture standards in all the production process, from the raw material production to the final product. The certifying company can never participate of the marketing process.

What other advantages has an organic aquaculture producer?

Besides commercial and environmental advantages, an organic aquaculture producer can get a market position by integrating a commercial chain differentiated from the conventional products one.

Can GMO or transgenic products be used in organic aquaculture?

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered in a way different from mating and natural recombination.

GMO products or transgenic products are prohibited in organic aquaculture.

Inquiries

Standards Download

To access the Standards Download section, complete and send the following form. Please make sure that all parts of the form are completed as required to access the download section.