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ensures religious compliance, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security( 2024) sets Malaysia Good Agricultural Practice( MyGAP) standards for aquaculture biosecurity and environmental management.
Yet, these systems still operate separately, highlighting the need for an integrated halal aquaculture framework that brings religious, ecological, and food safety concerns into one coherent structure.
ETHICAL GAINS
The aquaculture industries worldwide are adopting strategic improvements to support sustainable economic growth. One such strategy involves pursuing Global Aquaculture Alliance( 2020) certification, which ensures that seafood is sourced safely and responsibly.
This certification encompasses a broad range of species and operations, including wild-caught fisheries, aquaculture farms, hatcheries, processing facilities, and feed mills, ensuring that every stage of production adheres to rigorous industry standards.
Certified seafood companies prioritise reducing cross-contamination and spoilage by implementing strict hygiene practices. Additionally, certain entities leverage byproducts, such as fish skin and bones, to create value-added products, including fish oil capsules and animal feed, thereby minimising waste and enhancing revenue opportunities. They also improve cold chain logistics to maintain quality during transport, particularly for exports.
While halal certification currently focuses on general food production standards( e. g., Department of Standards Malaysia( 2019), the seafood sector lacks a dedicated halal aquaculture standard that specifically addresses the complexities of marinebased food systems.
However, existing models like Seafood Processing Standard( SPS) provide a valuable framework for developing one. A unified halal aquaculture standard rooted in both Islamic principles and industry best practices could harmonise safety, sustainability, and religious compliance in a single coherent system.
Emerging technologies such as blockchain-based traceability may also play a role. These tools not only track the journey from hatchery to plate but also can verify that halalcertified seafood meets halalan toyyiban values, including ethical sourcing, transparency, and minimal ecological harm.
Ultimately, halal assurance should also safeguard what is sacred: clean waters, healthy ecosystems, and the sustainability of livelihoods. In this way, halal seafood is not just a label, as it becomes part of a broader commitment to protecting coastal
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environments for future generations.
Such integration would amplify the sector ' s contribution to the blue economy by reducing waste, enhancing profitability, and opening new trade opportunities.
Halal-certified seafood ensures food security and generates employment in farming, processing, certification, logistics, and retail, empowering rural and coastal communities. In aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals( SDGs), a unified standard would position halal aquaculture as a global
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model for ethical and sustainable economic development.
HALAL AQUACULTURE
As halal aquaculture gains traction as a model of ethical and sustainable food production, it must be grounded in the Islamic imperative to protect and preserve the natural world.
The Quranic principles of mizan( balance), amanah( trust), and preventing fasad( corruption) underscore humanity ' s role as stewards of the Earth. Therefore, halal aquaculture systems mustn ' t compromise the
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integrity of coastal ecosystems. Key considerations include:
1. Ecological Pressures: The impact of aquaculture depends on the species, methods, and scale. Common practices like prawn farming, cage culture, and shellfish harvesting can discharge organic waste and nitrogen compounds into coastal waters, causing eutrophication, oxygen depletion, and algal blooms- contradicting the principles of toyyib. 2. Loss of Biodiversity and Habitat: Poorly managed aquaculture can destroy sensitive habitats. Fish cages disrupt seagrass and benthic communities; shrimp farms contribute to mangrove loss, accounting for about 35 per cent of global mangrove deforestation, which reduces flood protection, water filtration, and biodiversity. In Islamic ethics, this violates ihsan( excellence) and the duty to prevent fasad( corruption). 3. Ethical Coastal Land Use: Converting coastal land for aquaculture can salinise soil and groundwater, reducing agricultural productivity and freshwater availability for communities- a breach of amanah. 4. Pollution and Contaminants: Antibiotics, synthetic feeds, and chemicals often enter aquatic environments, contaminating seafood and undermining halal and toyyib status. Dredging and water pumping can introduce heavy metals and plastics.
In a nutshell, pollution in halal aquaculture is not merely an environmental issue it is a breach of ethical integrity.
CONCLUSION
Malaysia has laid the foundation for halal certification and aquaculture standards; however, greater integration is still needed. MyGAP and MS 1500:2019 address food safety and good practices, but fall short of merging ethical and ecological priorities central to a halalan toyyiban system.
Advances in marine science now enable more precise assessment of environmental impacts. Aligning halal principles with sustainability ensures seafood is permissible and responsibly produced.
This is Malaysia’ s opportunity to lead- connecting faith, science, and sustainability for the benefit of people and planet.
As the Quran reminds us:“ And He is the One Who has subjected the sea, so from it you may eat tender seafood and extract ornaments to wear. And you see the ships ploughing their way through it, so you may seek His bounty and give thanks to Him.”( An- Nahl, 16:14)- @ green
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