Authorization for Aquaculture Practice
Aquaculture is the agribusiness that shows a large rate of growth in Brazil, but, it still has a lot of available places to expand since the country has the biggest freshwater reservoirs of the world. Find out more about aquaculture and how to open one.
Brazil as an Important Player
Brazil is a country known worldwide for its waters. Despite its huge maritime coast, 12% of the total amount of fresh water in the world is located in its territory. These facts contributed to the large consumption of seafood and fish in Brazil and in the world, and made aquaculture very appealing for the country’s economy.
So What is Aquaculture?
Aquaculture is the cultivation of organisms that live partially, or totally, in the water. Just like the man learned how to plant trees and create animals, it has also learned how to cultivate fish and seafood creatures. The activity can be developed in land - with fresh water - or in the sea - in salt water -, and comprises a range of different cultures develop in the water, such as:
- Piscicultura: creation of fishes.
- Malacocultura: culture of shellfish, like oysters, mussels, snails, and scallops.
- Carcinicultura: creation of shrimps and crabs.
- Algicultura: culture of marine algae.
- Ranicultura: culture of frogs.
- Alligator Culture.
Opening an Aquaculture Business
The Ministry of Fishing and Aquaculture gives some important recommendations for those who wants to be an aquacultor in Brazil. The first step is to hire a professional, specialized in aquaculture, to develop the new business project as defined by the Instrução Normativa Interministerial (INI) nº 06/2004 - abbreviated as INI 06/04. The project needs to be authorized by the Ministry and for that, it is important to find out whether the hydric resource that will be used in the project is:
- Federal domain: the aquaculture project must be conveyed to the Federal Superintendent of the Ministry of Fish and Aquaculture of the State, in which the hydric resource is located.
- State domain: the aquaculture project must be send to State or Municipal environment organizations.
The process so one can develop an aquaculture business, in a hydric resource owned by a Brazilian State, vary from State to State since, each one of them has their own environmental organizations and, therefore, its particularities in regulations, documents requested, and procedures. For that reason, this article will outline the process.
Getting an Authorization
To acquire an authorization for the aquaculture project, the Anexos presented in INI 06/04 must be filled up and all documents requested by the legislation must be properly attached. Before that, it has to be delivered to the Federal Superintendent of the Ministry of Fish and Aquaculture of the State.
A large quantity of documents must be presented with the application for the project authorization. The entire list can be found in the Anexo II of the legislation. Below are the documents that are usually forgotten by the applicants:
Private Person
- Copy of identity card - for Brazilians, the document is known as RG (General Registry), while for foreigners, the ID refers to the RNE (National Registry for Foreigners).
- Negative Certification of Federal Revenue and INSS - the document proofs that the private person doesn’t has any financial debts registered in Federal Revenue and in INSS.
- Negative Certification of IBAMA - the documentary proof that the private person doesn’t have any irregular activity registered in IBAMA.
- Federal Technical Register of IBAMA framed in "Use of Natural Resources in the management of living aquatic resources - Aquaculture".
- Proof of address.
Legal Entity
- Copy of CNPJ.
- Copy of the Articles of Association or Contrato Social.
- Negative Certification of the Company headquarter of Federal, State, and Municipal Revenue.
- Negative Certification of INSS.
- Negative Certification of IBAMA.
- Federal Technical Register of IBAMA framed in "Use of Natural Resources in the management of living aquatic resources - Aquaculture".
- Proof of address.
Technician Responsible
- Negative Certification of IBAMA.
- Federal Technical Register of IBAMA framed in “Activity of Instrument of Environmental Defense”.
- Note of Technical Responsibility (ART) - it’s a document in which the professional register the functions and responsibilities that he/she must perform in a company, as determined by the employment agreement.
Related to the Specie
- Verify the assumptions of IBAMA Ordinance No. C-145/98 IBAMA proving the presence of the specie(s) in the watershed or sea. When the specie(s) isn’t covered by the Ordinance, it’s necessary to prove the presence of the specie(s) in the basin or sea with document from official institutions, such as the environmental agency of the state.
Other Necessary Procedures
The General Registry of Fishing Activity, most known as RGP, is the Brazilian Government agency that controls and records all fishing activities developed in the country, including aquaculture. The RGP must have a record of the Aquaculturist, the legal entity, or private person that performs aquaculture activities for commercial ends.
Before starting an aquaculture business, the company or person must acquire an environmental license with the environmental authority responsible for it in Brazil. The environmental license is valid for 20 years, and, after its expiration, it can be renewed for another 20 years.