ASC Certification

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) promotes responsibly farmed seafood through its certification and labeling program. Working together with the aquaculture industry, seafood processors, retail and foodservice companies, scientists and conservation groups, it helps to guide the industry towards an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible future.

The ASC Standards

The ASC farm standards were developed by more than 2,000 stakeholders globally. The standard development process adheres to ISEAL’s Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards. The ASC standards focus on both the environmental and social impact of farming.

Environmentally

Farms must show that they actively minimize their impact on the surrounding natural environment. This extends to careful management of the fish health and resources.

Socially

Farms must be a good and conscientious neighbor; that means operating their farm in a socially responsible manner, caring for their employees and working with the local community.

ASC Salmon Standard

ASC salmon farmers minimize their impacts on the ecosystem, protect marine wildlife and safeguard vulnerable marine areas. The farmers restrict the use of antibiotics, they use more sustainable feed and monitor water quality and fish health. The ASC certified farmers not only take care of their salmon, but also ensure good working conditions for their employees and care about local communities.

Here’s what makes ASC certified salmon a responsible choice:

Biodiversity

ASC certified salmon farms minimize impacts on the local ecosystem in a number of ways, such as the development and implementation of an impact assessment to protect birds, marine mammals and sensitive habitats, protection of the ecological quality of the seabed, ensuring farms are not sited in High Conservation Value Areas (HCVA) and minimising fish escapes to an absolute minimum. All lethal incidents with wildlife must be made publically available.

Feed

Pollution

Diseases

Social

Why the ASC matters?

Farms that meet the ASC standards deliver real benefits: a cleaner seabed, cleaner water and healthier fish. They also help to preserve local biodiversity, and work in a way that supports their community.

Through chain of custody certification, you can be sure that ASC labelled seafood can be traced back through every step of the supply chain to a well-managed farm that meets the strict requirements of the ASC standards.

Visit asc-aqua.org for more detailed information.