Posted on September, 30 2016

Antananarivo, Madagascar – Unima, leader in Madagascar’s shrimp production sector, was awarded Aquaculture Stewardship Certification (ASC) for its aquaculture farm Aqualma located in Mahajamba, the northwest coast of Madagascar. It is the first shrimp farm in Africa to receive ASC certification, an internationally recognized labeling scheme that promotes the best environmental and social aquaculture performance.

WWF´s partnership with Unima to develop and implement good social and environmental practices started in 2007. Through ASC certification, the company is being recognized for boosting community development, reforestation and for its sound management of mangrove areas , water treatment and waste management.

WWF applauds Unima’s commitment which in many ways goes beyond the ASC standard, and includes also education, health care and other environmental and social improvements on the farm.

A major step for Africa and Madagascar’s shrimp sector.

This certification is a major step for the shrimp sector across Africa and the export market in Madagascar. Indeed in 2014, shrimp fishing and farming represented 49% of Madagascar’s fish products exports.  More than 60% of the farmed shrimp is produced by Aqualma.

Europe is the main consumer of Malagasy shrimps, with imports of 400 000 tons of tropical farmed shrimp per year. Most of the shrimp is exported to France, only 10% goes to Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

“When managed responsibly, aquaculture can thrive alongside healthy wild fish populations and without harming the marine environment, including the vulnerable mangrove areas in Madagascar,” commented Dr. Didier Fourgon, WWF Fisheries Programme Officer. “The ASC shrimp certification is a good starting point to achieve this. It´s a proof of good industrial practices and a quality warranty for European consumers on their product choice.”

“We hope this certification of Aqualma will serve as a model for other shrimp farms and will stimulate further engagement of the broader Malagasy shrimp industry towards sustainable management”, added Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana,  Country Director, WWF Madagascar. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Unima and also other farms in shrimp producing countries such as Mozambique to implement better practices and help achieve ASC certification throughout the Africa region.”
 
Note to editors:
The ASC was founded in 2010 by WWF and IDH (Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative) the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) with the aim to promote the best environmental and social aquaculture performance.
The ASC standard for farmed shrimp stipulates that farms certified by the ASC can’t destroy mangroves operate in natural wetlands or where endangered species live. There are strict controls over escapes of farmed fish into the wild and—unique to the ASC—farmers who want to use fish meal made from wild-caught seafood have to ensure it comes from credibly certified sources. This includes strict limits on how much wild-caught fish can be used per kilo of fish raised. No Genetically Modified (GM) animals can be farmed.