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Aquaculture Magazine reports:
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council has launched the “ASC Annual Impacts Report: 2023 in Review”, that highlights the wide range of environmental and social impacts delivered by the ASC program in 2023. The report is packed with facts and figures and features real-life case studies which tell the story of another year of strong growth and increased impact for ASC. From production to markets, the interactive report encapsulates the work of the institution does on the ground.
In line with its ethos of transparency, this is the third year ASC has produced an impacts report. All reports are available on the ASC website.
The report highlights that there are 2,062 ASC certified farms worldwide covering 58 different species delivered 2.4M metric tons of responsibly produced seafood, which represents an increase of 8.6% from 2022. In the marketplace, seafood lovers found more ASC labelled products on their shelves, 4% more ASC labelled products were available across 116 countries (+17%) in 2023.
Also, the report explains that there were over 3,000 improvements made to drive social responsibility and over 4,300 improvements to drive environmental sustainability.
More numbers
Three Aquaculture Improvement Projects (AIP) across 129 sites meant more farms who were not yet ready to become certified got access to guidance and support through the Improver Programme by ASC.
They assure that since the ASC Feed Standard launch in January 2023, nine feed mills have been certified and more mills continue to join the program, reducing negative impacts including deforestation, land conversion and child and forced labor. 1,367 audits of farm performances were conducted by 12 accredited independent Conformity Bodies (CABs) year-round across 51 countries to deliver program integrity.
The most recognized and trusted farmed seafood label
In the other hand, and according to their largest and most comprehensive consumer research in 2023 which surveyed people in 14 countries, ASC is the most recognized and trusted farmed seafood label, scoring significantly higher than other responsible farmed seafood program labels.
Over 300 stakeholders participated in this public consultation on the ASC Farm Standard – the largest overhaul of ASC certification to better register our key stakeholders’ voice and insights. The new Farm Standard will align all ASC species-specific standards into a single global, robust standard. ASC will finalize the Farm Standard in 2024 and operationalize it in 2025.
A year of milestones
The entity says that improvements made in ASC certified farms benefit ecosystems, farm workers and the health of farmed species.
“2023 was a year of milestones for ASC as we formally launched the ASC Feed Standard, the Improver Programme by ASC and the ASC Chain of Custody Module,” said ASC CEO, Chris Ninnes. “I am extremely proud of our work to drive transformation and our impact not just in the wider seafood farming sector, but also in offering improvement and learning opportunities to smaller scale farms where change is not always easily accessible and to those at the very beginning of their improvement journey.”
Driving transformation in seafood farming
“According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, farmed seafood surpassed wild-caught fish for the first time in 2022. The continual growth of aquaculture emphasizes the need to drive improvements and reward responsible practices,” continued Ninnes.
“Now is the time to play a more active role in driving transformation in seafood farming. We do this by having a clear goal and vision, reinforced by measurable and meaningful impact which is reflected in this latest report,” he added.
“We plan to continue setting the standard for seafood and grow the program further with ongoing investment in dedicated ASC campaigns and more valuable new services for our partners.”
