What is Nordic SCALE?

Nordic SCALE (Nordic Seafood Cultivation and Aquaponics Licensure Entity) is a licensing and accreditation body consisting of a group of pioneers in aquaponic engineering together with biologists and experts in plant and animal welfare.

Nordic SCALE will act as an umbrella seal to protect, support and maintain the highest quality for all producers and consumers, within the framework of aquaculture, hydroponics and aquaponics. Certification must be provided to ensure confidence that all marine production systems used are of exemplary standards.

Mission

Proper management ensures that fish and plant farming complies with the current version of the SCALE standard for organic and natural production systems.

The standard requires aspects of management, resources and production processes that refer to the FAO's guidelines for aquaponics production as well as the guidelines from Nordic SCALE's licensing and accreditation organization.

Vision

To achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources;
To achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals and all waste throughout their life cycle, and significantly reduce their emissions to air, water and soil in order to minimize their negative effects on human health and the environment;
To encourage companies, in particular large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle;
To prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including nutrient pollution;
To sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems in order to avoid significant adverse effects, including by strengthening their resilience, and take steps to restore them to achieve healthy and productive seas;
To effectively regulate harvests and stop overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest possible time, at least to levels that can provide maximum sustainable yield determined by their biological properties;
To increase the economic benefits for small-scale fishermen for the sustainable use of marine resources, including through the sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism;
To provide small-scale artisanal fishermen with access to marine resources and markets; knowledge sharing and collaboration for access to science, technology and innovation;
To enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries.
To help and endorse the aquaculture and aquaponics farmers to receive and comply with the licensing and accreditation standards which gives the producer the right to use the Nordic SCALE mark on product packaging, facilities, websites and other advertising material.