US may approve farmed fish as organic
The National Organics Standards Board is considering new standards that would approve the federal government's official organic label for farm-raised fish, according to Environmental News. Fish farmers and others that are pushing to have the organic label available for farmed fish say that it would be appropriate to allow fish raised in off-shore net pens and fed a diet containing less than 25 per cent wild fish to be classified as organically grown.
A chorus from opponents state that even a small amount of wild fish food could increase the level of PCB's in farmed fish. They also stated that there is simply no way to prevent escapes from "open-net" cages. "Until we have proof that open-net cage fish farms do not harm the ocean environment or the life within it, farmed fish including salmon should not be allowed to use the organic label", stated a Pure Salmon Campaign representative.
The Pacific Organic Seafood Association said the use of wild-caught sources of fish for organic fish farming systems is feasible, acceptable and should be encouraged. "The use of fish meal and oil for rearing fish is an excellent use of these resources", said a spokesperson of the Association. "And it is ecologically more prudent to use these resources for rearing fish than many of the other common uses of these materials, such as fuel, fertilizer, industrial raw material, and food for terrestrial livestock. A primary hindrance to the use of fish meal and oil in organic farming has been political", he said.
