Nofima’s cod roe receives certification

She is Administrative Director of the National Breeding Programme for Cod, which is commissioned by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries and sells cod roe to fish farmers through an annual auction.

Previously, the certification has only included production from the juvenile stage. This year, version 6 of the Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) IFA Aquaculture standard was launched, which means that roe production also requires specific certification. That process has now been carried out at Nofima, which has also certified the broodstock production of cod.

For a fish farmer that has certified its own production, Nofima’s certification means that the entire value chain is now certified.

Global GAP is an international standard for the production of farmed fish. It is a global standard that specifically focuses on food safety, environmental protection, the working environment and animal welfare. The new version 6 of the standard has stricter documentation requirements and a greater focus on health and welfare than previous versions. Stricter requirements have also been put in place for subcontractors used in operations. The company Kiwa has certified the production of cod roe and broodstock. This production takes place at Tromsø Aquaculture Research Station’s Centre for Marine Aquaculture.

“I must compliment the staff at the Centre for Marine Aquaculture for the great work they have done in putting this in place,” says Toften.

There have been no significant changes in production as a result of the certification.

“What we have improved on is documentation and even better procedures that ensure the health and welfare of the cod. We have a quality assurance system in place that shows how we work and enables us to document it along the way,” says Toften.

The certification also applies retrospectively for all roe sold up to this point.

Related project

About the facilities

Contact person

Hilde Toften

Senior Scientist
+47 77 62 90 53