These standards cover the organic production of aquatic life including freshwater, brackish and saltwater species which are carnivorous, herbivorous or omnivorous. They do not cover the harvesting of aquatic organisms from natural water sources..

• The use of chemical pesticides and herbicides on the farm is prohibited.
• Use of natural curative methods and naturally occurring substances in treating diseases and injuries shall be preferred.
• Use of chemical, synthetic drugs for prevention and treatment of diseases is prohibited.
• Use of products from health promoting microorganisms is permitted as long as they are not from genetic engineering.
• Biological control of ectoparasites are allowed.
• Use of medicinal plants or their extracts are allowed provided that they do not have anaesthetic effects.

BREEDING

• Aquatic organisms of local species shall be preferred.
• Breeding should be done by natural methods with minimum human intervention.
• The stocks shall originate from organic production.
• Eggs and young stock shall originate from organic broodstock. If they are not available, wild caught or conventional broodstock are permitted provided that it is kept under organic management for at least three months before using for breeding in organic hatchery.
• The producer shall try to develop organic reproduction on the farm and to use only organic aquaculture juveniles by 2015.
• Natural reproduction shall be ensured throughout the breeding and spawning processes.
• Use of synthetic hormones and growth-enhancing substances in the cultivation and breeding of stock is prohibited.
• Brood stock and young stock from genetic engineering, polyploidization, artificial hybridization, cloning and production of mono sex strain (e.g. sex change through use of hormones) is prohibited.
• Use of hormones and physical manipulations is prohibited.
• Use of artificial heating or cooling of water for culture, and ultraviolet and ozone for disinfection is allowed only in hatcheries and nurseries.
• Capture of wild stocks for cultivation is not allowed except for natural inflow of aquaculture juveniles (e.g. larvae of fish and crustacean).

FEED

• Raw materials and products from genetic engineering as feed ingredients is not permitted.
• The use of chemical, synthetic substances as feed ingredients; e.g. antibiotics, growth hormones, appetite stimulants, hormones, amino acids, pigments, binders, preservatives and antioxidants; or as solvent extracted ingredients; e.g. hexane, is not permitted.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements of natural origin may be used.
• Feed stuffs shall come from materials not suitable for human consumption so that aquaculture production does not compete for human food.
• Production of aquatic species which mainly feed on natural planktons shall be raised in areas where natural feed is sufficient for the needs of the species.
• If natural feed is not adequate, the producer shall try to grow organic plants to be used as animal feed on the farm or grow seaweed in grow-out ponds.
• Feeds for aquatic animals shall contain certified organic ingredients.
• If certified organic ingredients are inadequate due to the early stage of local development of organic agriculture, raw materials of plant origin from conventional production or wild harvest may be used, but in any case no more than 15% of the total dry weight of feeds for the entire year.
• FOR CARNIVOROUS AQUATIC SPECIES, the use of ingredients from the same species as feed is prohibited.
• Ingredients of animal origin shall come from organic aquaculture production or, from fish meal and fish oil from organic aquaculture processing. If aquatic ingredients from organic aquaculture are not available, aquatic raw materials (fish meal/oil and ingredients from other aquatic species) from conventional sources may be allowed.
• The producer should use raw materials of plant origin as ingredients in aquaculture feed. But in case of carnivorous species, ingredients of plant origin shall not exceed 60% to prevent nutritional problems in the animals.
• Brought-in processed feeds or pellet feed shall be examined or certified by ACT.
• FOR SHRIMPS, fishmeal and fish oil derived from sustainable fisheries are allowed as feed ingredients but not more than 10%. In case of omnivorous shrimp, if feed ingredients of plant origin with high protein contents locally available prove to be of inadequate quality, ACT may allow the producer to use fishmeal and fish oil from sustainable fisheries up to 20% of the feed ration to meet the species’ protein requirement. Shrimp processing wastes are not allowed for use as feed ingredients unless they are properly processed with heat. Treatment of harvested shrimp with sodium metabisulphite to prevent discoloration of shell is prohibited. Equipment, tools, materials and containers for transportation shall not contain chemical substances toxic to shrimps.
• FOR SIAMESE CATFISH (PANGASUIS), it is allowed to use fishmeal and fish oil derived from sustainable fisheries as feed ingredients but not more than 10%.

FOR SHRIMPS

• Cultivated shrimp should be of naturally occurring species.
• Brood stocks shall be from organic sources. If those are not available, the stocks from conventional farms are permitted, but the producer shall have a plan to produce organic brood stocks.
• Young stocks shall be from an organic hatchery operation. If not available, the stocks from conventional sources are allowed providing that evidence must be shown that no chemicals and drugs prohibited by law are used in the hatchery.
• Appendicle cutting, e.g. eye ablation, to stimulate spawning in female shrimps is prohibited except in species (e.g. Penaeus monodon) which no other effective methods are available to stimulate reproduction.
• The capture of wild stocks for cultivation is not allowed in intensive shrimp production systems.
• Treatment of shrimp with chemical, synthetic drugs and antibiotics is not permitted. 
• Use of burnt lime (quick lime) to disinfect the ponds or improve water quality may be used.

FOR FRESHWATER FISH

• The culture of fishes in growout phase in artificial tanks is not allowed.
• Concrete ponds may be used only if their bottom is natural earth.
• Treatment of the stocks with chemical drugs is permitted when needed. 

HEALTH AND MEDICAL CARE

For chemical veterinary treatment:

• A maximum of 2 treatments per year is allowed for animals with production cycle of more than one year
• A maximum of one treatment for those with production cycle of less than one year
• A maximum of one parasite treatment is permitted for animals with production cycle of less than 18 months
• If the animals exposure to chemical treatment exceeds the above limits, they cannot be sold as organic.