Environmental Stewardship Policy

Background

Sustainable aquatic animal and plant production requires good resource management. Water received for production should be of suitable quantity and quality for effective production of aquatic organisms.

Environmental stewardship is the responsibility of each aquatic organism producer. Aquatic animal production does have the potential to contribute plant nutrients, settleable and suspended solids, and therapeutants to effluent streams. The impact of these discharges on the receiving stream is highly variable.

Regulatory decisions must be based on credible science and risk assessment. A thorough understanding of aquaculture farm effluent impact must be evaluated relative to upriver conditions, water quality standards, and beneficial uses.

Considerable research is being directed at aquaculture waste management. These efforts are being conducted by U.S.D.A., universities and the commercial industry. Improvements can be expected in feed formulation, solids collections and disposal, water reuse and multiple use.

Policy

The NAA:

1. Encourages environmental stewardship by all aquaculturists.
2. Encourages regulatory decisions on basis of credible science.
3. Encourages risk assessment that includes cost-benefit analysis.
4. Encourages effluent regulation based on site-specific watershed needs.
5. Encourages regulatory decisions that account for beneficial uses and physico-chemical conditions of receiving waters.
6. Encourages efforts that result in development of improved waste management practices.