To become certified, applicants initially review and complete an application, and contact the Best Aquaculture Practices office to enter the BAP program. Once accepted, facilities must undergo a site inspection and present specified production records demonstrating traceability for at least the three previous months. After successful inspection, facilities pay a program fee based on annual seafood production. Processing Plants, Farms, Hatcheries, Feed Mills BAP Certification Steps 1. Review standards and guidelines, and certification application form. See Certification Forms page for the form and standards/guidelines files appropriate to your type of facility. Additional information can be requested from the Best Aquaculture Practices office in Crystal River, Florida, USA. 2. Submit completed certification application form to the Best Aquaculture Practices office. Applicants must answer all questions in the application and included self-audit (where applicable). Save the Excel format Certification Application Form on your computer and e-mail a copy to the BAP office at aquacert@tampabay.rr.com. Completed applications may also be faxed to +1-425-650-3001 or mailed to 706 N. Suncoast Blvd., Crystal River, Florida 34429 USA. 3. Return certification agreement, invoice for application and inspection fees to the BAP office. Once BAP verifies the facility is ready to be registered, it sends the applicant a facility certification agreement, invoice and payment instructions for the U.S. $500 application fee and subsequent inspection fee. Inspection fees for farms vary $1,800 to $3,000, depending on the site location and travel time to the facility. The annual inspection fees for shrimp hatcheries are $1,800 to $3,000 and $5,500 for processing plants. Plants that repack product from other BAP-certified facilities also pay a $5,500 inspection fee. The inspection fee for feed mills is $5,500. 4. Complete certification inspection/audit process. BAP forwards applications to an ISO-accredited certification body. The body selects an auditor and coordinates the inspection schedule. Assuming records, permits and other pertinent documents are current and available, BAP inspections for farms and hatcheries typically take one day. Processing plant inspections take three days, while those for feed mills take one to two days. During site inspections, auditors review records, observe procedures and consider human resources. At most facilities, they sample effluents and send the samples to an accredited lab to determine compliance with BAP criteria. For processing plants and repacking plants, auditors collect samples of finished product from three lots and forward them to BAP-approved laboratories for food safety testing. At shrimp hatcheries, auditors take random stock samples to verify their health status regarding the diseases for which claims are made. The applicant is responsible for all testing costs. Auditors provide an initial report to the facility and forward a copy to the certification body within two working days following the inspection. The certification body contacts the facility with a report, after which the facility has up to 28 days to provide evidence of corrective action on non-conformances. The body reviews and approves the evidence before convening a certification committee for a certification decision. The committee issues a decision within 42 days of the audit, unless an extension is granted or a follow-up audit is required. New applicants have up to one year from the date of application to complete certification. 5. Pay program fee. After successful certification, facilities pay a program fee based on production volume in the previous calendar year. Farms pay U.S. $1.25 per metric ton of product with a minimum fee of $650 and maximum of $5,000. Program fees for processing plants are based on the amount of seafood produced under the BAP program in the previous calendar year. Plants pay U.S. $3.00 per metric ton of product with a minimum fee of $5,000 and maximum of $15,000. Repacking plants that repack product from other BAP-certified facilities pay a U.S. $5,000 program fee. Shrimp hatcheries pay a program fee of $650. Program fees for feed mills are based on the amount of finished product manufactured in the previous calendar year. Mills pay U.S. $1.25 per 10 metric tons of product with a minimum fee of $3,000 and maximum of $10,000. 6. Check website for company listing. Once the facility is approved for certification and all fees are paid, a unique certification number is assigned to the facility, a certification certificate is issued and the facility is added to the online list of certified facilities. Unless instructed otherwise by the applicant, facility names and locations are made public. Other individualized information is kept confidential and not shared with or sold to other parties. 7. Use BAP logo. Certified facilities may include the Best Aquaculture Practices certification mark in advertising and on retail packaging as provided in the facility certification agreement and referenced publications. Only BAP-certified processing plants and feed mills may use BAP artwork on packaging. 8. Maintain records and traceability data. All certified facilities must maintain internal electronic or paper-based records of the required data to document essential information and establish “one up, one down” traceability. Where facilities claim inputs from other BAP-certified operations, a chain of custody audit is required to verify proper product segregation and record keeping. Certified farms must maintain records for each production unit on seed, feed, chemical use, effluent water quality and harvest as outlined in the Traceability section of the standards guidelines. Certified processing plants must keep records for each lot that include data on farm and plant lots, and distribution information. Certified shrimp hatcheries must maintain production records for each rearing tank and production lot that include data on postlarvae species, sources, and chemical and feed use. Certified feed mills must record data on ingredient sources, formulation details and drug inclusion for each production run. 9. Recertify each year. BAP certification is valid for one year. For each successive year, farms shall pay an inspection fee of U.S. $1,800 to $3,000 and a program fee of $1.25 per metric ton, with a minimum recertification fee of $650 and a maximum fee of $5,000. Processing plants shall pay an inspection fee of U.S. $5,500 and a program fee of $3 per metric ton, with a minimum program fee of $5,000 and a maximum fee of $15,000. Hatcheries shall pay an inspection fee of $1,800 to $3,000 and a program fee of $650. Feed mills shall pay an inspection fee of U.S. $5,500 and a program fee of $1.25 per 10 metric tons, with a minimum program fee of $3,000 and a maximum fee of $10,000. Certified faciltiies have up to 30 days past the recertification date to complete the recertification process.
Certification Process
To be considered for Best Aquaculture Practices certification, applicants must contact the Best Aquaculture Practices office and complete the following steps. Initial BAP certification remains in effect for one year. In successive years, facilities have 30 days after the certification anniversary date to complete recertification.
