AIP (Aquaculture Improvement Project)

AIP is an abbreviation for Aquaculture Improvement Project.
There is no internationally unified definition, but according to guidelines issued by CASS (Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions), a platform of NGOs working for seafood sustainability in North America, it means "efforts by multiple stakeholders in a certain area to prevent adverse effects on aquaculture and prevent fish and shellfish diseases."^*1.

AIPs have different standards for how to proceed with projects because the issues they want to solve vary depending on the site, such as improving the environment at aquaculture production sites and mitigating the social impact of aquaculture. For example, the ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) hasASC Improver ProgramThe Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), which operates the same aquaculture certification,iBAP (BAP Improvers Program)There is a program called:

Some AIPs aim to obtain certification, but since AIP itself is not a certification scheme, there is no specific logo mark like those for MSC or ASC certification, and seafood produced by AIPs is not labeled in any way.
However, the importance of AIP in the seafood supply chain is also recognized, and it is included in the procurement policies of retail companies such as Walmart, the largest retailer in North America.Reference 1,Reference 2). These companies do not limit their procurement of sustainable seafood to certified sources; they also directly support producers and regions implementing AIP and become buyers of products produced as a result of the projects, thereby helping them continue their improvement activities and achieve their goals.

Below are some examples from Japan, where AIPs aimed at obtaining ASC certification are becoming established.

(I.e. Miyagi Onagawa Coho Salmon AIP(First case in Japan)
Main contents: Improvements such as monitoring the impact of the fish cages on the ecosystem, sustainability of feed and young fish, and clarifying matters related to social responsibility in the company guidelines^*2

(I.e. Kumamoto Red Sea Bream AIP(First case in Japan)
Main contents: Monitoring of the impact of aquaculture on the surrounding ecosystem and habitat, evaluation of the sustainability of juvenile fish and feed, management of pests and diseases, formulation of policies regarding the social responsibility of aquaculture, etc. ^*3

(I.e. Sulawesi Shrimp Farming Improvement Project
Main activities: Restoration of mangroves lost due to the development of aquaculture ponds, creation of procedure manuals and training on water quality testing, policy recommendations on shrimp resource management, etc.^*4

*1 “Introduction to Aquaculture Improvement Project” (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership)
*2 https://jp.asc-aqua.org/news/latest-news/marukin/
*3 https://note.com/umito_partners/n/nc024315be5ee
*4 https://jccu.coop/info/newsrelease/2018/20180628_01.html