The Global Aquaculture Alliance's (GAA) best aquaculture practices (BAP) new mussel standards are available for public comment through June 8, the group said Tuesday.
The new mussel farm standards address social and environmental responsibility, food safety, animal welfare and traceability.
In addition, the standards encompass all production systems for mussels, including cultivation on the seabed or on poles and suspended cultures such as long-line culture and raft-and-rack culture.
Various mussel species fall within the standards' scope, including blue mussels, Chilean mussels, Mediterranean mussels, New Zealand Greenshell mussels and Asian green mussels.
The mussel farm standards will be used as a template for broader mollusk farm standards that cover other commercially important species, including clams, oysters, scallops and abalone, GAA said.
The BAP program currently certifies shrimp farms and hatcheries; salmon, tilapia, channel catfish and pangasius farms; seafood processing plants and feed mills. New BAP standards for additional finfish and crustacean species will be implemented soon.