Concern that rates of aquaculture growth in OECD countries are below potential has resulted in environmentally sustainable production increase becoming a priority for policy makers. Growth in aquaculture production can be influenced by many factors. This report looks at the attributes of licensing and regulatory systems in OECD countries, the area over which policy makers have greatest direct control, and finds some suggestion they may be negatively related to aquaculture growth rates. Opportunities exist for reducing the administrative burden faced by enterprises, without sacrificing regulatory quality in the process. There is also a strong indication that quality governance, aided by having systems of evaluation and review in place, helps reduce overall administrative burden. Comparing the attributes of licensing systems with environmental performance was not possible due to the lack of suitable indicators. This highlights the need to measure environmental performance if regulatory effectiveness is to be evaluated further.
