US soybean industry help get Chinese catfish firm BAP certification

A Chinese firm has secured the first Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for a yellow catfish farm with support from the US Soybean Export Council.

Liyang Qianmatang Chenqiang Special Aquaculture Co. Ltd uses the in-pond raceway system (IPRS), developed and promoted globally by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), at its yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) farm in Jiangsu Province.

Last year, the firm partnered with USSEC and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), which operates the BAP third-party certification program, to implement IPRS technology. Also involved was the local and provincial offices of the government-run Fishery and Technology Extension Station.

The firm, which annually raises 800 million fry per year and has a production capacity of about 200 metric tons, mainly sells to the wholesale market, but is aiming to move towards a consumer-facing business and is hoping the BAP certification will help.

With certification in hand, two retailers have already shown in the company’s fish, and “it’s a better choice for the farm to set up a consumer-facing brand,” said Iris Xin Wang, the GAA’s business development manager in China.

“If not limited by the transportation ability, I believe we can introduce more BAP endorsers to them,” Wang told SeafoodSource.

USSEC, which is sponsoring the cost of the first year of certification, has been seeking to grow the use of soybeans in Chinese aquaculture feed. 

“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,” a GAA statement announcing the certification said.

China takes half of all U.S. soybean exports, a trade worth an estimated USD 15 billion (EUR 12.45 billion) to U.S. farmers in 2020, according to trade projections.

Yellow catfish represents the 30th farmed seafood species to enter the BAP certification program.

Photo courtesy of Global Aquaculture Alliance