Document type : Article published on The Fish Site
Author: The Fish Site
"Recognizing that sustainable and equitable development of aquaculture requires a holistic approach that values human and animal health and welfare, and further recognizing that aquaculture operations must be conducted in a manner that ensures the health and welfare of farmed aquatic animals, optimizing health through stress reduction, reducing the risk of aquatic animal disease, and maintaining a healthy farming environment at all phases of the production cycle," the statement said.
Preview: For the first time, the UN has included aquatic animal welfare at length in an official high profile policy document, the recent Shanghai Declaration.
The Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) and its partners submitted joint comments to the FAO's Global Conference on Aquaculture (GCA +20) regarding their Shanghai Declaration, a road map to optimise the role that aquaculture can play in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Not only did FAO incorporate these comments, they also invited ALI to speak during the conference, which drew over 500 participants in person and over 800 watching online. The organisation sees this as a huge milestone for the recognition and inclusion of aquatic animal welfare. […]
Whereas the early draft included only one reference to aquatic animal welfare as it relates to biosecurity and disease prevention, the final draft added an entirely new clause on aquatic animal welfare based on feedback from ALI:
"Recognizing that developing aquaculture sustainably and equitably requires a holistic approach that values both human and animal health and welfare and further recognizing that aquaculture activities should be conducted in a manner that assures the health and welfare of farmed aquatic animals, by optimizing health through minimizing stress, reducing aquatic animal disease risks and maintaining a healthy culture environment at all phases of the production cycle," the declaration states.
As ALI reflects, historically, aquatic animals have been neglected in welfare advocacy and research. Even at the top levels of society, their sentience is rarely recognized and their welfare is seldom considered. Now, for the first time, the FAO has issued high level guidelines that include aquatic animal welfare.
Link to the Shanghai Declaration
