Sourcing
Aquaculture project and equipment sourcing: RFQ checklist and destination rules
Short answer: an aquaculture project request needs the species, target annual production, site and water data, system type and the scope you want quoted (design, equipment, installation, commissioning, training). Equipment must meet the destination's product-safety rules — for example CE marking in the EU and EEA, CCC in China or PSE in Japan where they apply — and live inputs such as eggs, fingerlings or post-larvae need animal-health certification. FishMatch reviews each project by hand and approaches suitable suppliers for you.
What this page covers
- New farms and expansions: ponds, RAS, cages, flow-through and biofloc systems
- Hatcheries and nurseries
- Equipment packages: aeration and oxygen, water treatment and filtration, pumps, feeding, monitoring and control, grading and harvest, processing and cold storage
- Live inputs for stocking: eggs, fry, fingerlings, smolts and shrimp post-larvae
Customs codes
- Equipment is classified by its own HS headings (machinery, pumps, electrical equipment); confirm each line with your customs broker
Not on this page
Buying harvested fish or shrimp to resell is a seafood request — see the frozen shrimp, other shrimp and farmed finfish pages.
Aquaculture project and equipment RFQ checklist
- Project type: new build, expansion, retrofit or a single equipment package.
- Species and target annual production in tonnes (or post-larvae or fingerlings per cycle for hatcheries).
- Site country and location, land or sea area, and water source with available test data (temperature, salinity, oxygen, flow).
- System: ponds, RAS, cages, flow-through, biofloc or hatchery, and any technology preference.
- Scope to be quoted: design, equipment supply, installation, commissioning, training and operation support.
- Equipment list or bill of quantities, if you already have one.
- Electrical supply at the site (voltage, frequency, phases) and the conformity marking or approval the destination requires (CE, NRTL listing, CCC, PSE).
- Live inputs: species, life stage, quantity, origin and the animal-health certificate the destination requires.
- Budget range in your currency and financing status (own funds, bank, grant, still seeking).
- Timeline: decision date, delivery window and target first stocking or harvest.
- Delivery terms (Incoterm, site delivery), warranty, spare parts and after-sales service on site.
- Programme value: FishMatch manages projects from USD 250,000; smaller requests are saved and pointed to free planning tools.
Regulations by destination
Two sets of rules apply to most projects: product-safety rules for equipment and animal-health rules for live inputs. Farm licences and environmental permits are national or regional and are not covered here. Summaries below link to the official source.
Official pages last checked 23 October 2026. General orientation, not legal or import advice; rules change.
European Union
- Machinery placed on the EU market before 20 January 2027 must comply with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC; from that date Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies.
- Electrical equipment within the Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU) must carry the CE marking; ask suppliers for the EU declaration of conformity for each machine and panel.
- Live aquatic animals and their eggs entering the EU need an animal health certificate issued by an official veterinarian of the country of origin, specific to the species, category and intended use (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692; certificate models in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2236).
Official sources
- Machinery: Directive 2006/42/EC and Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (European Commission)
- Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (European Commission)
- Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 — entry of animals, incl. aquatic animals (EUR-Lex)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2236 — aquatic animal certificates (EUR-Lex)
Spain
- Spain applies the EU product-safety and animal-health rules above. Live aquatic animals entering from outside the EU are pre-notified with a CHED in TRACES at a border control post.
- Aquaculture site authorisation is handled by Spanish public authorities and is outside this summary; ask your project adviser which authority covers your site.
Official sources
United States
- Electrical equipment used in workplaces must be “approved” under OSHA rules — for example accepted, certified, listed or labelled by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (29 CFR 1910.303 and 1910.399).
- Importers of live fish, eggs or other wildlife file a Declaration for Importation of Fish or Wildlife (Form 3-177) with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (50 CFR Part 14).
- Live salmonids and their eggs need the certification set out in 50 CFR 16.13; some species are listed as injurious and cannot be imported without a permit. State rules can also apply.
Official sources
China
- Products in the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) catalogue — 106 product types in 17 categories as of June 2026, many of them electrical — need CCC before import or sale; check each item against the catalogue.
- Live aquatic animals for entry are subject to GACC inspection and quarantine under its measures on entry aquatic animals, including quarantine approval before import; confirm the current scope for your species with GACC.
Official sources
Japan
- Electrical appliances and materials covered by the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act need PSE conformity; for imported items the importer is responsible and must notify METI.
- Live aquatic animals for aquaculture are subject to quarantine: the importer submits an import permit application and the exporting government's inspection certificate to the Animal Quarantine Service at least 5 days before arrival.
Official sources
Norway
- Norway is in the European Economic Area, so EU product-safety legislation and CE marking apply to machinery and electrical equipment.
- Live aquaculture animals from outside the EU/EEA need a health certificate signed by the exporting country's authorities, attached to the CHED in TRACES (Mattilsynet).
Official sources
How a request works
- You submit a structured request; it is private and free for buyers.
- A person on the FishMatch team clarifies it, replies within one business day and identifies suppliers that may fit.
- The team coordinates supplier questions and collects comparable information and quotes.
- We help you review specifications, terms, volumes, documents, logistics and risks.
- You decide; the team coordinates the next steps.
FishMatch is not the producer, seller, importer of record, inspection laboratory, customs broker or carrier, and does not guarantee supply, quality, compliance or approvals. Supplier checks are document and profile reviews, not on-site audits. Supplier communication goes through the FishMatch team.
Start an aquaculture project or equipment request
Free for buyers. A person reviews your project and replies within one business day; supplier quote timing is never promised.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a supplier need before it can quote an aquaculture project?
- Species, target annual production, site and water data, the system type and the scope you want priced. Without these, quotes cover different equipment and cannot be compared.
- Is CE marking enough for every market?
- No. CE marking covers the EU and EEA. The United States, China and Japan have their own approval systems for electrical equipment, so ask suppliers which markings each item carries for your destination.
- Can FishMatch handle the import of fingerlings or post-larvae?
- FishMatch can include live inputs in a reviewed request, but animal-health certification, permits and transport remain with the supplier and the importer. It does not import, ship or guarantee survival.