MUSCAT: Blue Waters LLC Oman, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fisheries Development Oman (FDO), has received the coveted Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification from the Global Seafood Alliance.
Blue Waters, which operates a sea bream aquaculture project off the coast of Qurayat, is the Sultanate of Oman’s first facility to attain BAP certification.
The farm has been in operation since 2016 and is expected to produce 2,350 tonnes of sea bream this year. The fingerlings are imported live from hatcheries in Europe. Blue Waters is in the process of building its own hatchery in the Sultanate of Oman, which is scheduled to open in late 2022. The sea bream is currently sold as chilled whole fish to retail customers in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
Blue Waters was audited against the BAP Farm Standard Issue 3.0 and received its BAP certificate last month. Established in 2016, Blue Water LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fisheries Development Oman (FDO). FDO was formed by Oman Investment Authority (OIA), Oman’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
Best Aquaculture Practices is a third-party certification programme developed by the Global Seafood Alliance, an international, non-profit trade association headquartered in Portsmouth, USA, dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy and third-party assurances. Through the development of its Best Aquaculture Practices and Best Seafood Practices certification standards, GSA has become the leading standards-setting organisation for seafood.
“Achieving the BAP certification is a major achievement, which documents that Blue Waters is an internationally recognised producer of high quality sustainable farmed fish,” said Nabeel al Ruwaidhi, CEO of Blue Waters.
‘’Achieving BAP certification has been a goal of Blue Waters and also our valuable customers. We make every effort to go the extra mile for our customers. When something is important to them, we listen and act. It is important for us as a company to understand the demands of an evolving market and stay on top of innovative developments in our industry,” said Waleed al Farsi, sales manager for Blue Waters.
“It is our mission to support a profitable, sustainable and socially responsible seafood industry, and this is a shining example of how industry and science can work together for a profoundly positive outcome,” added Lars Bo Windmar, quality and safety manager for Blue Waters.
Blue Waters drives food safety and sustainability in Oman forward with the achievement of the BAP certificate and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ) certification, which was achieved in October 2021. In order to achieve food safety, environmental and sustainable excellence, Blue Waters has developed and implemented a comprehensive quality management system, said the company.
