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The aquaculture industry is growing and now produces approximately 40 percent of the seafood consumed around the world each year. This “Blue Revolution” has increased seafood availability, but has also caused serious environmental and social impacts, including but not limited to pollution, destruction of habitat, damage to native ecosystems, and harm to human health. Ecolabels will play an important role in reducing the impacts of aquaculture production and processing. Ecolabels — voluntary systems that certify and label products that meet standards for environmental and social performance — have already begun to be developed for aquaculture products, and additional ecolabel development is likely in the near future. Gold Standard for Sustainable Aquaculture Ecolabel Design, establishes a definitive standard for the institutional design of sustainable aquaculture ecolabels. The Gold Standard’s institutional framework is credible and practical, and compliant ecolabels will produce sustainable aquaculture practices on the ground.
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