Good Aquaculture Practices Research Articles

PROFIL TEKNOLOGI BUDIDAYA BANDENG (Chanos chanos) DI PUJUT KABUPATEN LOMBOK TENGAH

Milkfish cultivation with traditional technology in Mertak Village only lasts one cycle per year. The limited cycle of milkfish cultivation causes it to be less desirable, even though the profit level is quite high. For this reason, this study aims to study the key variables of cultivation and estimate the feasibility of the milkfish cultivation business. This research was conducted in Mertak Village, Central Lombok. used in this research is descriptive survey, and data collection using census method. Data analysis uses Regression-Correlation which aims to predict the determination / influence of the independent variable (X) on the dependent variable (Y). The results of the technical evaluation of milkfish cultivation in the village of Mertak amounted to 563 kg/ha/cycle with the size of the milkfish harvesting 8 individuals/kg. In addition, averange body weight (ABW) of 125 grams/individual was obtained, survival rate (SR) reached 53.68%, and FCR 0.23. The results of the business feasibility analysis show the value of the Benefit-Cost Ratio (B/C Ratio) = 2.218, which means that the milkfish cultivation business is feasible to continue because the B/C ratio is >1.0. The milkfish cultivation activities in Mertak Village, Pujut Subdistrict, Central Lombok Regency have followed the rules of good aquaculture practice (GAP). The milkfish farmers consistently run their business to increase pond productivity.

Improving the Quality of Dried Seaweed (Gracilaria sp.) Through the Implementation of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAP) in Brebes, Central Java

Improving the Quality of Dried Seaweed (Gracilaria sp.) Through the Implementation of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAP) in Brebes, Central Java

Stakeholder perspectives on the 2023 Ghana National Aquaculture Development Plan: An integration within the ecosystem approach framework

AbstractAquaculture developmental plans represent a nation's determination for self‐reliance on domestic fish production through resilient aquaculture. This study reviewed the 2012 Ghana National Aquaculture Development Plan (GNADP) and sought inputs from industry stakeholders to inform GNADP 2023 using the ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA). In furtherance of this, we also investigated the justifications for antibiotic treatments including the assessment of the sector that is supposed to regulate aquaculture growth. The findings suggest that GNADP 2023 must be strategized to address industry sustainability bottlenecks identified as input availability and quality, permitting, regulation and enforcement, financing schemes and technical expertise. In terms of technical expertise, the inclusion of women in aquaculture can diversify the skill sets for the improvement of capacity and competence in good aquaculture practices and fish health management. Sector partnerships can aid in leveraging the expertise and resources among sectors to address persistent industry issues. The justifications for antibiotic treatments are disease management, prophylactics, antibiotic availability, application, and effectiveness, capacity and competence, including regulation and enforcement. This also comprised the sense of ownership and responsibility as farmers feel they must safeguard their investment. It is therefore important for farmers to pursue preventative aquaculture biosecurity measures. The government sector was selected predominantly to regulate aquaculture growth. We however recommended a participatory approach as this could facilitate peer regulation to enhance the regulation and enforcement of aquaculture regulations. The findings in this study are worth considering as it pioneers the adoption of the EAA framework for aquaculture developmental planning in Ghana.

The Impact of Aquaculture Cooperation Organization Support on Fish Farmers’ Selected Good Aquaculture Practices: Based on a Survey Data of 586 Fish Farmers in China

This study delves into the significance of integrating small-scale aquaculturists. Through a unique linkage mechanism established between aquaculture cooperative societies and these small-scale practitioners, characterized by mutual risk-bearing and benefit-sharing, there is not only an incentive for the adoption of advanced aquaculture techniques but also an enhancement of the overall quality and safety standards of aquatic produce. Utilizing the ordered probit model, the research sheds light on the profound influence of organizational support in guiding the selection of optimal aquaculture practices. Organizational support is bifurcated into two primary dimensions: emotional support and instrumental support. The empirical results indicate that the dual facets of support provided by aquaculture cooperatives significantly bolster the propensity of aquaculturists to adopt best practices. Specifically, for each unit increase in organizational support, there are marked rises of 12.3%, 17.3%, 18.3%, and 17% in activities including seedling inspection, procurement of quality feed, management of fish diseases, and external fish inspection, respectively. Crucially, the effect of instrumental support surpasses that of emotional backing, positioning it as a more dominant factor in guiding aquaculturists toward embracing optimal practices.

Gross yield driving the mass fluxes of fishery drugs: Evidence of occurrence from full aquaculture cycle in lower Yangtze River Basin

Expanding aquaculture has generated pollutants like fishery drugs in wastewater, which affects the aquatic environments and hinders sustainable development of aquaculture. To evaluate the occurrence, mass fluxes and production factors of fishery drugs in aquaculture, full-aquaculture-cycle monitoring in finfish and crustacean wastewater was conducted in the lower Yangtze River Basin, and 28 pesticides and 15 antibiotics were detected. The results showed that individual fishery drugs varied from ppt to ppb levels. Among them, sulfonamides were dominant with a mean concentration of 105.95 ± 4.13 ng·L−1 in finfish aquacultural wastewater, and insecticides were prevailing in crustacean aquacultural wastewater with a content of 146.56 ± 0.66 ng·L−1. Since the susceptibility to finfish disease determined the aquaculture practice, there were significant differences between two types of aquacultural wastewater. Finfish aquacultural wastewater contained more drugs and reached peak earlier in rapid-growth period, yet crustacean aquacultural wastewater peaked at the harvest period, to prevent against disease. Meanwhile, higher ecological risk, especially for florfenicol, were found in finfish wastewater. With 6 production factors from Good Aquaculture Practice, the gross yield was the most influential factor of drug mass flux, explaining 98 % variance by stepwise regression. Apart from increasing concentrations of fishery drugs in wastewater, regional high-yield aquaculture also significantly impacted the corresponding mass flux. As estimated by linear regression, 1.63 tons of target drugs would be discharged by 1 Mt. aquatic products, and 7.77 tons were discharged from aquaculture in the lower Yangtze River Basin in 2021. This is the first report to quantify mass fluxes of fishery drugs and to highlight gross yield as the most influential factor, which provides guidance for the supervision and regulation of sustainable aquaculture.

Implications of Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) Application on Intensive Shrimp Ponds and The Effect on Water Quality Parameter Compatibility

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of water quality parameters in intensive white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultivation activities based on Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) quality standards implication practice. This research was carried out with the ex-pose facto causal design concept during one cycle of shrimp cultivation, with the indicator being studied was the condition of the water quality parameters which were then corrected with the GAP standard according to the Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 75 of 2016. The results showed that the condition of the water quality parameters during the cultivation period was still in accordance with the GAP quality standards, except for the alkalinity parameter which had a value of 157 mg/L and organic matter 104.43 mg/L, both values ​​were above the GAP quality standard threshold. The abnormal condition of the two parameters was caused by unpredictable natural and seasonal factors. This can be seen from the trend of the temperature and salinity parameter graphs that fluctuate unstable. Furthermore, for technical parameters, the cultivation system at the research site was still in accordance with the cultivation quality standards listed in the GAP. Based on the discussions, it can be concluded that the water quality parameters at the research pond location as a whole were still in accordance with the GAP quality standard which refers to the Minister of Fisheries Regulation No. 75 of 2016, except for the alkalinity and organic matter parameters which had a slightly worse concentration than the GAP quality standard.

Review of alternatives to antibiotic use in aquaculture

AbstractWith the rapid growth of the aquaculture production since the 1980s, there has been a concomitant increase in disease outbreaks. The injudicious and/or incorrect use of antimicrobial agents against diseases of farmed aquatic species poses a considerable threat to the development and growth of a successful and sustainable aquaculture industry. An increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an important consequence, resulting to the difficulty in treating common bacterial diseases in populations of aquatic organisms, combined with the presence of antibiotic residues in food fish and their products, leading to import refusals and negative impacts on international trade. To reduce the frequency of AMR, good aquaculture and effective biosecurity practices should include the prudent and responsible use of antibiotics and also consider the use of alternatives to antibiotics, in addition to disease prevention management. This article reviews the literature discussing the scope of the problem pertaining to antibiotic use, the emergence of AMR in aquaculture and to consider and discuss viable alternatives (e.g., vaccination, bacteriophages, quorum quenching, probiotics and prebiotics, chicken egg yolk antibody and medicinal plant derivative). We also discuss lessons learnt, from specific case studies such as the vaccination of farmed salmon in Norway and the use of ‘specific pathogen‐free’ seed—as primary and essential part of a biosecurity strategy.

Factor affecting the willingness to adopt good aquaculture practices (GAPs) in traditional shrimp farming in Pinrang Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

This study explores the factors influencing shrimp farmers’ adoption of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAPs) in traditionally managed aquaculture ponds cluster in Pinrang Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The factors influencing shrimp farmers’ decision to apply GAPs to traditional ponds in Pinrang Regency were analyzed using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with structural equation modeling (SEM). The analysis results showed that shrimp farmers’ willingness to adopt GAPs was strongly influenced by their attitude that GAPs can increase their production or income, improve a positive reputation in society, and contribute to improving the aquaculture environment. Meanwhile, the main impetus for adopting GAPs came from exporters or local entrepreneurs and directives and assistance from the relevant government, universities, and academics. The shrimp farmers believe that to maximize the level of application and the adoption of GAPs, improving pond engineering and managing environmental limiting factors are of high priority. The decline in aquaculture pond water quality is closely related to the condition of ponds with problems exchanging water, particularly disposing of aquaculture waste after the operation.

Low Carbon Emission Shrimp Farming Development Model

Shrimp is a vastly strategic aquaculture commodity in Indonesia, most of which is produced for the export market; hence, competitiveness is the main key in the industry. With the increasing productivity of a shrimp farming area, the regulation for establishing a shrimp culture area needs to be strictly managed, including reducing carbon emissions. The management of aquaculture areas needs to pay attention to the principle of sustainability and consider carbon dynamics. This paper contains a descriptive analysis of the literature related to the substance of the study. The carbon dynamics in aquaculture areas consist of potential sources of carbon emitted and potential sinks or carbon that can be absorbed and stored. By structuring the shrimp pond area, aquaculture engineering, the application of good aquaculture practices and use of alternative energy sources, during the shrimp farming process in ponds, the carbon emission can be minimized, and the carbon sink can be increased. Our recommendation suggests that analysis of land suitability, environmental carrying capacity and carbon dynamics in each shrimp pond area are exceptionally required to be conducted to assess land suitability as a low carbon emission shrimp farming area. Furthermore, to increase farmers' understanding and awareness of the sustainability of the practices, pilot areas for low-emission shrimp ponds need to be developed.

Inteligencia artificial en acuicultura: fundamentos, aplicaciones y perspectivas futuras

Advances in data management technologies are being adapted to resolve difficulties and impacts that aquaculture manifests, some aspects that over the years have not been fully managed, are now more feasible to solve, such as the optimization of variables that intervene in the growth and increase of biomass, the prediction of water quality parameters to manage and make decisions during farming fish, the evaluation of the aquaculture environment and the impact generated by aquaculture, the diagnosis of diseases in aquaculture fish to determine more specific treatments, handling, management and closure of aquaculture farms. The objective of this article was to review within the last 20 years the various techniques, methodologies, models, algorithms, software, and devices that are used within artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning systems, to solve in a simpler way, quickly and precisely the difficulties and impacts that aquaculture manifests. In addition, the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, automatic learning and deep learning are explained, as well as the recommendations for future study on areas of interest in aquaculture, such as the reduction of production costs through the optimization of feeding based on good aquaculture practices and parameters of water quality, the identification of sex in fish that do not present sexual dimorphism, the determination of quality attributes such as the degree of pigmentation in salmon and trout.

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts of Shrimp Farming in the Philippines: A Critical Analysis Using PRISMA

Shrimp aquaculture is under pressure to increase its production to meet the growing demand for food from a growing population. In the Philippines, aquaculture has experienced the shift from milkfish to prawn, with its attractive marketable price. This intensification has led to negative and positive impacts, which have raised a range of environmental and socioeconomic problems. This paper reviews the environmental and socioeconomic challenges that the shrimp aquaculture industry faces using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. We examine the gaps and the changes that are required to revitalize the industry. We examine and assess the impacts of shrimp culture on the environment, e.g., shrimp farm management, marine pollution, disease outbreaks, and the social, economic, and climate change impacts. The presence of viral diseases, such as White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), Monodon Baculovirus (MBV), Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV), Hepatopancreatic Parvovirus (HPV), and Yellow Head Virus (YHV), have caused approximate losses in the industry of 40,080 mt in 1997, and 51,000 mt in 2014. Recommended strategies and policy changes are considered for the improvement of shrimp aquaculture, including disease management, the adoption of good aquaculture practices, proper environmental monitoring, sustainable practices at the farm level, and priorities for cooperation among the concerned government agencies and local governments, as well as the involvement of state universities and colleges, for better management practices.

Proximate Analysis of Bycatch Fish and Probiotics Treatments towards the Good Aquaculture Practices

Bycatch small pelagic fish during the fishing season can be oversupplied so that its price goes down. The study aims to analyze the proximate of local fish powder from the by-catch and probiotics of Probio_FM in the fish feed in Bangka Belitung. The method was the data compared with the Indonesian National Standard, SNI 01-2715-1996/Rev: 92 about the raw material of animal feed as fish powder and fish feed with six different treatments. The study found that the bycatch or trash from small pelagic fish could be used as a fish powder or fish feed. The proximate analysis on fish powder and fish feed with probiotics Probio_FM included as the quality of SNI. Crude protein values from 25.75% until 66.96% that was above SNI standard I (1.5%), II (2.5%), and III (3.0%) could be followed up into an economical business. Fermented activity from Probio_FM could degrade the protein and other components proximate such as ash content, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, calcium, Phosphor, and NaCl. The amino acids from protein were getting simpler and easier being absorbed by fish in culture or livestock farms. Probio_FM was assumed to degrade the protein value and other components proximate due to the utilization of nitrogen and ammonia derived from the process fish protein hydrolyzation of probiotic bacteria. The production of local feed should be implemented to reach feed security and very important to be developed into a community business. Proximate analysis of bycatch could support sustainable good aquaculture practices in the future.

Adoption of Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) in Aquaculture: Evidence From Small-Scale Shrimp Farming

The increasing demand by international customers for high-quality shrimp products has led to the introduction of various certificates of traceability intended to validate quality products in Vietnam. The Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP), better known in aquaculture as the Vietnamese good aquaculture practices, has emerged as a reliable certificate for small-scale farmers and a prerequisite for international certification. This study investigates factors affecting applications for VietGAP by small-scale shrimp farmers in Vietnam. Cost-benefit analysis and binary logistic regression approaches were used to categorise shrimp farms with and without VietGAP certification. Findings indicated that while the adoption of VietGAP raised production costs by 14.5 %, it could increase net profit by up to 22 %. The increase in net profit is from increased productivity and antibiotics and chemical-free products in shrimp farming, helped fetch better prices. The results also revealed three factors that positively influenced the farmers’ decision to acquire VietGAP; education, farm size, and production system. Shrimp farmers with longer schooling years, larger farms, and those who possess cooperative/farming cluster membership are more likely to acquire VietGAP certification. The results imply that the VietGAP certification should be better promoted to cooperative production forms of farming, by strengthening the schooling year of farmers and increasing awareness of VietGAP certification to farmers who operate shrimp farms of 5,000–9,000 m2.

Qualitative Study on The Role of Aquaculture Extension Services to Increase Productivity and Innovation of Catfish Farmers in Salatiga City, Central Java

Aquaculture extension services have a direct contact with fish farmers, therefore, have a n important role to improve the economy in the fish farming sector. The increasing number of catfish farmer in Salatiga City, makes the task of aquaculture extension services more difficult to assist fostered catfish farmer. The purpose of this study was to analyze the role of aquaculture extension service in supporting cat fish farmers in Salatiga City to increas ing production and innovation. The method used in this research was qualitative approach through conduct ing interviews with aquaculture extension services as respondents and catfish farmer as informants . O bservations was carried out in the field and data obtained were analyze d using triangulation method to valid ate data. The results obtained in this study are the role of aquaculture extension services to increased production of catfish farmers by conducting regular visits and consulting related to aquaculture management problems experienced by farmers. The role of aquaculture extension service to spur innovation for catfish farmers by facilitating training and mentoring to apply fisheries technology, facilitating farmers to get certified sangkuriang broodstock so they can increase seed production, facilitating farmers to get pellet machines and feed formulations training so they can produce independent feed, giving advice for farmers to selling their harvests in social media and assisting fish processing groups to keep them running well. Based on these results, the aquaculture extension services has several priorities, there are aquaculture management, technology application, market expansion and diversification of fishery products, while the application of Good Aquaculture Practices, independent seed production and independent feed production has not become a priority for extension services to be applied by catfish farmers. Keyword s : Catfish, Counseling, Extension Service, Farmer, Mentoring

Typology of interventions for antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture systems in low- and middle-income countries

Indiscriminate antimicrobial use (AMU) in aquaculture to treat and prevent diseases is common and can lead to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant micro-organisms, potentially impacting public health and connected ecosystems. This study aimed to develop a typology to classify and characterise interventions to reduce AMU in aquaculture and identify points of action. Seventeen aquaculture and animal health professionals in Asian and African countries were interviewed to gather information on characteristics of interventions in different contexts to develop a typology. Seven types of interventions were defined: (i) legislation and regulations; (ii) industry rules and standards; (iii) voluntary instruments; (iv) commercial technology and alternatives to antimicrobials; (v) on-farm management; (vi) learning and awareness-raising; and (vii) activities with co-benefits. Types were based on intervention function, scope of implementation, implementer, compulsion, strength of the intervention, AMU/antimicrobial resistance (AMR) objective and stakeholder to influence. For each type, examples were described and discussed. The most common interventions to address AMU and AMR were legislative and regulatory frameworks and voluntary instruments, including National Action Plans. Interventions addressing AMU/AMR specifically were scarce. Other interventions focused on indirect effect pathways to AMU and AMR reduction aiming to improve good aquaculture practices, disease prevention and improved management. Monitoring and evaluation of these interventions were found to be rare, only present for interventions driven by development projects and international agencies. The presented typology of existing strategies and interventions addressing AMU/AMR in aquaculture systems can guide evaluation of AMR-sensitive interventions that promote responsible AMU, and informs the design and implementation of future interventions.

What motivates farmers to accept good aquaculture practices in development policy? Results from choice experiment surveys with small-scale shrimp farmers in Vietnam

This study explores small-scale Vietnamese shrimp farmers’ preferences for good aquaculture practices and proactive aquaculture development policy to encourage wastewater treatment and antibiotic use. Data were collected through a survey of farmers using two discrete choice experiments with a sample size of 450 respondents. The results of mixed logit and latent class models indicated that the farmers preferred good aquaculture practices in shrimp farming to conventional types, and the risk reduction and economic benefits of good aquaculture practices attracted shrimp farmers. However, many small-scale farmers did not prefer the integration of proactive aquaculture practices in development policy, despite the availability of a concessional loan to cover the initial investment cost, and they expressed less willingness to pay for wastewater treatment and antibiotic use regulations. To increase the adoption of good aquaculture practices, in addition to concessional funding policy, small-scale farmers also expressed a need for other support policies, such as the aquaculture insurance provision, subsidies for wastewater treatment, and compliance with regulations on antibiotic use.

Determination of suitable stocking density for good aquaculture practice-based carp fattening in ponds under drought-prone areas of Bangladesh

Stocking larger sized fish in fattening along with good aquaculture practices (GAP) are considered potentials for achieving sustainable and safe fish production under the climatically challenged drought-prone areas where the maintenance of optimal water level throughout the culture period is a real obstacle. To be sustainable, fattening requires optimal stocking density, as lower stocking density can bring up economic loss and at higher stocking density fish are severely challenged by stressors. The present study was designed to explore suitable stocking density for fattening of carp using overwintered fish and maintaining the aspects of good aquaculture practices. The present study was conducted for a period of 6 months from July to December 2019 in ponds of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh with three different treatments of carp stocking densities such as T1: 2470 fishes/ha; T2: 3705 fishes/ha and T3: 4940 fishes/ha. Individual stocking weight of all the fishes was kept significantly higher at T1, medium at T2 and lower at T3. However, stocking biomass was maintained significantly indifferent in all the treatments. Fishes were fed with pelleted feed (containing 25% crude protein, 10% moisture, 4–5% crude fat and 8% crude fiber) twice a day and water quality parameters were monitored monthly. Significant variation was observed only in dissolved oxygen, NH3-N, plankton cell density and total heterotrophic bacterial count. However, two opportunistic bacterial counts (Pseudomonas spp. and Aeromonas spp.) were higher at treatment T3, and the presence of non-indigenous pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli) was not evident in all the treatments. Significantly higher final weight and survival of fishes were obtained with treatment T1, while combined production of fishes was significantly higher at treatment T3 followed by T2 and T1. Furthermore, the higher market price of larger fishes at T1 resulted in significantly higher total return and benefit-cost ratio (BCR), in which the average selling price of fishes at T1, T2 and T3 were 250, 218 and 195 BDT/kg, respectively. The data obtained from this study has the potency to be used as baseline information on the sustainability of GAP based carp fattening in water deprived drought-prone areas in Bangladesh and other comparable geographical areas in the tropics.

Accelerating pond aquaculture development and resilience beyond COVID: Ensuring food and jobs in Ghana

Over the past decade, the aquaculture sector in Ghana has experienced tremendous growth—driven mainly by large-scale cage aquaculture. Pond aquaculture, traditionally extensive and with limited external inputs, has been transforming over the same period. Farm profitability was wide-ranging, between −12.00 and 46.00 Ghanaian cedi (GHC) per square meter (m2), with an average of GHC 8.82/m2 for farmers active in 2019. Despite wide variability in production and profits, the majority of farmers experienced positive profits—on average, GHC 3.24 per kilogram of tilapia produced, or a 27% profit margin. Farmers who adopted good aquaculture practices and intensified their production have high productivity and positive profits. Nonetheless, the cost to produce 1 kg of tilapia in Ghana (roughly US$1.51 on average) was much higher than in other major tilapia-producing countries (averaging roughly US$0.78 to 1.29). COVID crisis further affected fish farmers: 54% experienced difficulties in accessing inputs, 56% experienced difficulties selling their fish, and farmgate fish prices went down in April–August, although slowly bounced back by end of 2020. Improving the competitiveness and resilience of Ghanaian tilapia sector will require improved seed, increased adoption of good management practices, lower-cost quality feed, and enabling policies and regulations.

Benefits and Risks of Aquaculture Foods in Primary Health Care: A Mini-Review

Primary Health Care (PHC) is expected to serve as a basis for the country's health sector, of which it is the primary responsibility and priority, as well as the community's overall collective and economic prosperity. Promotion of food supply and proper nutrition are among eight elements of PHC. Protein deficiency is one of the most important health concerns in some parts of the world. A huge numbers of malnourished or hungry people have been reported particularly in the less developed countries. Advantages of aquaculture in nutrition are varied. However, there are some zoonotic microbial illnesses occurred due to consumption of infected seafood. Some of these challenges will be cor- rected by good aquaculture practices. With the right reforms in the aquaculture industry, progress can be made toward solving some of the challenges facing PHC delivery. In this mini-review, the benefits and risks of aquaculture foods in PHC are briefly discussed.

Attitudes, Perceptions, and On-Farm Self-Reported Practices of Shrimp Farmers’ towards Adoption of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAP) in Thailand

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the perceptions and attitudes relating to Good Aquaculture Practices (GAP) in compliance held by a subgroup of Thai GAP certified shrimp farmers based on a structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Different levels of farmers’ experiences with the method of farming resulted in significant differences in perspective and attitude in some domains studied, especially environmental sustainability and constraints to GAP production. Moreover, all farmers were willing to adopt GAP in order to create a safer certified farm, including reducing chemical use and reporting outbreaks of disease. Their main concerns surrounded the expenses required to change practices and farm safety certification to the shrimp farmers improvement, market volatility, and price fluctuations. It was evident that the important issues remain regarding GAP cost. The outcomes of this study will help farmers to understand the requirements towards safer and sustainable production and support policy developers in development of policies, strategies, and programs to encourage participation in GAP certification.