Global groups call greenwash on BAP-labelled farmed salmon  

Recently, Living Oceans led a global alliance of 76 groups denouncing the Best Aquaculture Practices’ farmed salmon certification as greenwash.  

The groups cited damning evidence of numerous BAP certified farms and facilities associated with environmental damage, illegal activity, and/or negative impacts to endangered species. Examples were from all major salmon farming regions: the U.S., Norway, Chile, Scotland, Australia – and of course, Canada.   

In B.C., Cermaq and Mowi farms are BAP certified. The BAP standard has no metric limits on sea lice numbers on certified farms, or any restrictions on farms releasing disease agents such as Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) or Tenacibaculum maritimum – despite the risks they pose to wild salmon.  Farms with sea lice levels as high as 51 lice per fish likely have entered the marketplace under the guise of the BAP label.  

Unfortunately, BAP and other farmed salmon certifications have become entrenched in grocers’ sustainable seafood policies. Several Canadian grocers use the BAP certification and label to sell open net-pen salmon as ‘sustainable’, including Loblaws, Sobeys, METRO, and Walmart. Read our cheat sheet on farmed salmon certifications for seafood shoppers. 

Jurisdictions such as the European Union have recently introduced mandatory environmental and human rights due diligence for corporations.  This means large companies will be required to address negative environmental and social impacts within their supply chains, regardless of certification. Living Oceans and SeaChoice are advocating for Canada to follow suit with similar due diligence requirements.