Each State should:
1. establish an aquaculture development plan based upon the need for food security, rural
development, disease control, biodiversity and sustainable use of resources. The context
of integrated use of water resources and of potential production areas should be applied
2. establish and implement a national strategic development plan, which identifies and
designates areas and resources important for future aquaculture or other food productions,
and protects them from being irreversibly allocated to other purposes.
3. ensure co-ordination between relevant governmental departments, and implementation of
participatory planning processes involving local communities and all stakeholders, in the
development of aquaculture.
4. establish, implement and enforce appropriate laws and regulations to ensure responsible
aquaculture, including food safety, environmental safety and ethical criteria and the
protection of the rights of indigenous people and local communities.
5. establish and implement a licensing or regulatory system governing the use of exotic
species, including genetically modified organisms and organisms from breeding programs,
with due considerations to human health and to impacts of escapees.
6. be appreciative of the difficulty that allowing aquaculture to develop
in response to market demand can generate problems of equity, for example if aquatic
resources currently consumed by the poorer section of the community are to be used as feed
for aquaculture.
Producers and industry should:
7. take full advantage of new technologies and management procedures that can
improve quality and quantity of aquaculture products and reduce risk of adverse effects on
the environment and on the livelihood of other people including future generations.
8. strictly abide by the internationally agreed food safety, environmental safety
and ethical criteria if genetically modified organisms, chemo-therapeutants or hormones
are utilized in the production.
9. develop standards and practices, which embody ethical principles for ensuring
health and welfare of fish and shellfish and for slaughter practices.
10. become increasingly customer oriented in defining quality attributes and strengthen
dialogue with the consumer. In particular the industry has an independent responsibility
to provide adequate product and production information on all issues recognized to be of
consumer concern.
The scientific and technological community should:
11. give a priority to domestication of relevant aquaculture species, involving control of
the whole life cycle and thus allowing genetic improvement. As the economic costs of
domestication efforts are high, concentration will be on few species. However, this should
not preclude the evaluation of alternative species.
12. give a priority to the development of integrated, polyculture-based fish farming for
omnivorous or herbivorous species, specially those useful in utilizing organic wastes.
13. give a priority to the development of sources for animal feed other than fish protein
and fish lipid.
14. recognize the responsibility to develop and make available the best technology, in
particular for the efficient use of the resources and for avoiding harm to the
environment.
Intergovernmental organizations and development
agencies should:
15. recognize the potential of aquaculture to contribute significantly to the world´s
aquatic food supply and support its realization.
16. require, as a precondition for involvement in aquaculture development projects, that
all parties abide by these guidelines.
17. give a priority to transfer, adaptation and implementation of technological
innovations, capacity building, training and education in order to harvest the full
potential of aquaculture in developing countries. |