Discrepancies in Asia-Pacific standards for water quality in aquaculture and comparison with reported coastal surface water quality in central Thailand

Purpose of Review Aquaculture has grown rapidly over the years and Asia–Pacific is leading the World in aquaculture production.But poor water quality has serious impacts on farmed animals leading to stunted growth, low quality produce, high mortality rates and ultimately economic failure of aquaculture businesses. Many countries have set water quality standards (WQS) to protect aquaculture and assure the quality of its produce. However, WQS differ from country to country, while the market for aquaculture produce is global. This leads to inconsistencies that affect aquaculture producers and the environment.
Recent Findings Key parameters for animal health include dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, ammonia, heavy metals, pesticides and pathogens. On the other hand, bioaccumulation of heavy metals, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, microbial contamination, drug residues and antimicrobial resistance are health risks for consumers of aquaculture produce and require careful control strategies. Considering Thailand as an example, the WQS set by the Thai Government are stringent compared with other Asian countries, but the literature review illustrates that for a few parameters coastal water quality in central Thailand regularly exceeds the set limits.
Summary Practically speaking, setting strict WQS can make it challenging for small-scale producers with limited resources to meet these requirements, which discourages compliance. Therefore, a global approach is needed not just via food safety standards, but also for surface water quality protection, to assure fair competition in an increasingly globalized aquaculture market.