Best Management Practices
ECSGA's BMP Manual
In June 2010 the ECSGA published its BMP manual, Best Management Practices for the East Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Industry. The BMP project was an industry priority for several years, and was led by the team of Gef Flimlin of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Sandy Macfarlane of Coastal Resource Specialists, and Edwin Rhodes and Kathleen Rhodes of Aquatecnics LLC.
The manual is the final product of 22 workshops with input from hundreds of stakeholders. The work was funded by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agrigulture, the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center, and NOAA's Office of Aquaculture.
To create your own farm-specific BMP document use our BMP template, a Microsoft Excel file in macro format (.xlsm).
Aquaculture Gear Management
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture, developed an extension-style publication based on information from a 2018 gear workshop in Cedar Key, Fla. It covers best management practices for shellfish gear; marine debris facts; lease stewardship and public perception; how to reduce, reuse, recover and recycle; shellfish gear management strategies; preparing for severe weather; and important resources.
Marine Litter and Aquaculture Gear
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council sets criteria for how certified farms should implement policies for waste reduction and recycling; and for responsible storing and disposal of waste. Going forward, the ASC is also reviewing the need for new criteria/indicators targeting specifically the issue of marine litter, plastics and ghost gear, for implementation in future revisions of its standards or guidance documents.
Read the ASC's whitepaper here.