title: Eco-certification of farmed seafood: will it make a difference?
abstract: Eco-certification is widely considered a tool for reducing environmental impacts of aquaculture, but what are the likely environmental outcomes for the world's fastest growing animal-food production sector? This article analyzes a number of eco-certification schemes based on species choice, anticipated share of the global seafood market, size of eligible producers, and targeted environmental impacts. The potential of eco-certification to reduce the negative environmental impacts of aquaculture at scale presently appears uncertain as: (a) certification schemes currently focus on species predominantly consumed in the EU and US, with limited coverage of Asian markets; (b) the share of certified products in the market as currently projected is too low; (c) there is an inequitable and non-uniform applicability of certification across the sector; (d) mechanisms or incentives for improvement among the worst performers are lacking; and (e) there is incomplete coverage of environmental impacts, with biophysical sustainability and ecosystem perspectives generally lacking.
authors.affiliation: Gotland University, Cramérgatan 3, 621 67, Visby, Sweden, malin.jonell@hgo.se.
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jonell
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rönnbäck
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Troell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D002568:Certification; D004777:Environment; D007881:Legislation, Food; D017747:Seafood