Turbot

The GLOBALG.A.P. feed standard requires the majority of feed ingredients to be responsibly sourced. However, Atlantic halibut has a large dependency on wild fish in its diet.All farmed turbot rely on formulated feeds and the use of commercial aquafeed is the norm in Spain.The GLOBALG.A.P. standard requires ingredients used in feeds to be traceable. For marine ingredients, a minimum of 60% should come from responsibly managed fisheries. This may be verified by GSSI or MarinTrust. This will be raised to 75% by January 2025.There are also requirements in place for vegetable ingredients. There is a 75% requirement for soy to come from FEFAC sources, which are traceable to countries that are deforestation free.Turbot has a high dependency on fishmeal and fish oil in it's diet and is a net consumer of protein.Under the GLOBALG.A.P. certification, compound feed manufacturers are encouraged to proactively assess the possible use of novel feed ingredients.

Turbot farmed in flow-through systems in Spain have few environmental issues associated with their production.Turbot production is relatively small-scale and farmed in flow-through tanks. These tanks use seawater pumped ashore which is then pumped through the tank system. The system uses seawater so freshwater depletion is not thought to be an issue. In addition, habitat alteration is thought to be small scale in this type of production.Juveniles used are hatchery based.Chemicals are used in farmed turbot production, but their usage is limited by GLOBALG.A.P. standard criteria. There is a veterinary health plan in place which monitors the chemical impacts on the surrounding environment and has specific criteria on when antibiotics can be used. Discharge of effluent is easier to control in flow-through systems than open-net pens and clean up technologies are available. The GLOBALG.A.P. standard has criteria in place to control discharges and disposal of waste.Flow through systems can allow disease outbreak to occur and parasites may be present in turbot. However, with the filters used, the risk of both is thought to be low and there is not thought to be a regional level risk and no reported impact on wild populations.Escapes in this type of production are unlikely and the GLOBALG.A.P. standard criteria require maintenance records, records of actions taken to correct equipment and farms are required to have an effective documented procedure for preventing escapes.Lethal control of predators is permitted.

GLOBALG.A.P. has criteria in place to ensure animal welfare and humane slaughter.The GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture standard outlines practices that ensure animal welfare and humane slaughter are in place. This includes a risk assessment for animal welfare.

For turbot production in Spain certified to the GLOBALG.A.P. standard, all regulations are in place and thought to be fully effective.This assessment covers all turbot certified to the GLOBALG.A.P. standard, produced in Spain. Spain has a comprehensive range of regulations in place for the aquaculture industry, including a National Plan programme that includes aquaculture.The GLOBALG.A.P. standard has criteria in place that cover Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), identification and protection of valuable habitats and species, use of land and water resources, use of chemicals including licensing, discharges including effluents and their impacts, biosecurity and disease management, and species introduction. These criteria are thought to be fully effective is minimizing negative environmental impacts.The GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture Standard incorporates aspects stipulated by the FAO Technical Guidelines on Aquaculture certification and the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code. It is recognized both by the GFSI for food safety and GSSI at primary production level, covering key sustainability aspects for animal production for human consumption.