Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Why Certify? Aquatic Life Institute's Impact Implementation Via Seafood Certification, published by Tessa @ ALI on November 8, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
Snapshot
Aquatic Life Institute has recently launched the second edition of the
Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark
.
These schemes collectively certify, at minimum, 773 million fishes and 10.5 billion shrimps annually.
For every $1 of funding received, we have potentially helped improve the lives of 5,423 fish and 221,343 shrimp directly through our engagement with these certifiers.
444: Four R's for Formative Change
In 2019,
Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) embarked on a journey to reduce the suffering for trillions of aquatic animals in the global food system each year.
This past September, ALI established
4 Key Principles to help guide our interventions for systemic transformation in aquatic animal welfare that are used to filter organizational priorities:
Reduce the number of animals in, or remove animals from, the seafood system and its supply chain.
Refine the conditions in which animals are currently kept or captured in the seafood system and its supply chain.
Replace animal products with sustainable plant-based or cell-based alternatives to the extent possible in the seafood system and its supply chain.
Reject the introduction of additional animals into the seafood system and its supply chain.
In alignment with these 4 principles, we have worked with seafood certifications for years, building relationships and fostering change via our
Certifier Campaign.
Certification Landscape
Between 51 and 167 billion farmed fish
[1] are produced annually from global aquaculture operations. Although there are examples of good welfare practices in aquaculture, the concept of what officially constitutes "humanely-raised fish" or a "high welfare seafood product" is still largely undefined worldwide by the public, industry, animal welfare organizations, and most governments.
As institutions certifying aquatic animal products begin incorporating positive welfare standards into their seafood labeling programs, they must diligently define high welfare products based on the best available scientific evidence rather than rely on subpar industry norms. "Humanely-raised" aquaculture standards must include more than just stunning before slaughter; they should consider animal welfare conditions throughout the stages of their lives in production. The farmed aquatic animals living in aquaculture facilities at any given time need to be prioritized.
Aquaculture standards must also account for additional aquatic animals not directly used for human consumption, such as animals reduced to fishmeal and fish oil ingredients, cleaner fish, and broodstock. Consumers turn to seafood labeling schemes for guidance to avoid purchasing products that conflict with sustainable and humane practices. More than 100 certifications and ratings programs of one type or another are currently in use by the seafood industry.
[2], and volumes of certified farmed fish and shellfish constitute about 8% of global aquaculture production
[3]. The amount of certified aquatic animal products is only expected to increase. There is no evidence that certification will be phased out anytime in the near future, given consumers' increasing demand for sustainable seafood and the absence of a better alternative
[4]. Some schemes are reporting notable growth and others are discussing the aggressive expansion of their operations to certify a greater number of seafood products in various regions.
However, many of these labels lack explicit considerations for positive animal welfare or fail to provide adequate protections. Through our Certifier Campaign, we aim to hold seafood certification standards accountable and highlight the schemes that provide the most robust...

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