Congratulations to Liyang Qianmatang Chenqiang Special Aquaculture Co. Ltd. for becoming the world’s first Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified yellow catfish farm.
Located in China’s Jiangsu province, the farm, known as Chenqiang farm, raises yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) using the In Pond Raceway System (IPRS) developed and promoted globally by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). In July 2020, Chenqiang farm, which has more than a decade of experience in breeding and farming yellow catfish, partnered with USSEC and the Global Aquaculture Alliance, which owns the BAP third-party certification program, to implement IPRS technology on its farm. The project is also supported by Fishery & Technology Extension Station of Jiangsu province and Liyang city.
“The successful certification of Chenqiang farm marks the culmination of a group effort between Chenqiang farm’s management, GAA, USSEC and local and provincial government. The future of aquaculture is dependent upon making better and more efficient use of limited resources, and all of the partners in this project have shown they are committed to promoting a more sustainable future for aquaculture. I want to thank everyone involved for their commitment to this project,” said Steven Hart, GAA’s VP of market development.
Annually, Chenqiang farm raises 800 million fry per year and has a production capacity of about 200 metric tons, amounting to value of more than 20 million yuan.
A number of local officials attended the ceremony celebrating Chenqiang farm’s BAP certification in late January, including Mr. Jun Cao, deputy mayor of Liyang government, who gave speech congratulating Chenqiang farm on its achievement.
With the addition of yellow catfish, there are now 30 farmed seafood represented by the BAP program, including channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). BAP continues to grow, ending 2020 with 2,918 BAP-certified facilities in 39 countries, up 10.7 percent from the end of 2019.
About BAP
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain — farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills — that assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by GAA.
