Reconnecting with farmers post-lockdown: caring and sharing through the ASC Improver Programme
By Pla Duangchai As the world slowly opens up again after more than two years of countries closing their borders, opportunities like a farm visit can mean a lot not…
Our take on the latest State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report
The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) biennial State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report is an important reference document for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), enabling us to keep…
ASC Shrimp Summit creates certified connections across supply chain
Inaugural Shrimp Summit A Success for Certified Seafood On July 12-13, 2022 the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) hosted its inaugural 2022 ASC Shrimp Summit in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The first-of-its-kind event…
How to accelerate seafood sustainability?
10 key insights from NASF 2022
For the second year, ASC was delighted to sponsor the sustainability seminar at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) in Bergen, Norway, alongside NASF, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and…
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and why you need to know about them
Sustainability has been a buzz word for some time now as we realize the impact humans have on our planet. We need to protect tomorrow from what we do today,…
A Responsible Guide to Wine and Seafood Pairing
The worlds of wine and seafood are wide, but they have a lot in common when sustainability is on the table. According to the Wine Institute, U.S. wine drinkers consumed…
Saluting Mangroves on International Day for Biological Diversity
Today it’s International Day for Biological Diversity – a day to think about the importance of biodiversity to the natural world – and to us humans. Biodiversity is an important…
What are the health benefits of omega-3 and where can you find it?
You have probably read about the health benefits of omega-3, and that it can be found in fish. But for many of us, that’s about as much as we know.…
Adventures in data sharing, part two – integrating the world of certification
ASC has teamed up with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch on a project that will enhance integration between certification and ratings schemes. The project, Integration…
Why pangasius isn’t a ‘garbage fish’, and four more myths busted
Recently we published a series of mythbusters about farmed salmon. Now we’re turning out attention to a farmed fish that may be the victim of even more myths and scare-stories:…
Adventures in data sharing – our project to integrate the world of certification
ASC has teamed up with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch on a project that will better integrate aquaculture certification and ratings schemes. The project is…
Public consultations: why are they important and how do we make them count?
Public consultations are carried out by all kinds of organisations for all kinds of reasons. We certainly make good use of them at ASC. But what makes them so important?…
Five more myths about salmon farming – and the truth behind them
Last year we decided to set the record straight by setting out the truth behind some common myths around salmon farming. It turns out there are so many of these…
Why Seafood Watch still considers ASC salmon from British Columbia a ‘buy option’
If you have seen that Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch has rated farmed salmon from British Columbia as ‘red’ in its latest ratings, you would be forgiven for thinking that…
It’s Human Rights Day. But what does that have to do with seafood?
Do you know what the most translated document in history is? It’s not any religious holy book, and it’s not an ancient masterpiece like The Art of War, and believe it…
Have you heard these five myths about salmon farming? Here’s the truth behind them…
There are plenty of criticisms out there of salmon farming, claiming it is bad for the environment. At ASC we don’t pretend any kind of fish farming is totally free…
Celebrating World Soil Day
It seems to come around sooner every December. No, not Christmas, but UN World Soil Day. Why is there a whole day dedicated to soil? You may be surprised at just…
Collaboration leads to certification for Japanese seabream producer
There are no shortcuts to ASC certification – the only way to achieve recognition is by meeting all of the requirements of the most stringent standards in farmed seafood. But…
How we’re helping aquaculture lead by example on climate change
A blog by Robert Parker, ASC’s Senior Co-ordinator – Greenhouse Gas Emissions When the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) takes place in Glasgow this November, it will be the 26th meeting following the establishment of the UN Framework Convention on…
World Food Day: how we can all fight food insecurity
October 16 is World Food Day, and its message of ‘our actions are our future’ encourages people to help fight food insecurity with their personal choices. Sound overwhelming? Don’t worry, this…
What is a stakeholder and why are they so important?
At ASC we like our stakeholders, and we like talking about them. In fact, a quick search of the ASC website for the word ‘stakeholder’ returns over 1,500 results. We’re…
It’s World Heart Day – here’s how seafood can help you heart
World Heart Day is celebrated every year on 29 September and every year has a different focus, but the key message is always the same: look after your heart to…
ASC comment on dolphin slaughter in the Faroe Islands
In recent days there have been some understandable concerns raised on social media about the mass slaughter of dolphins and whales in the Faroe Islands, but there have also been…
International Youth Day: What is it? When is it? And what’s it got to do with aquaculture?
It can be hard to keep track of all the international days of awareness, but don’t worry – ASC is always here to help you out. Today’s lesson is on…
Remote But Relevant: Here’s What We Learned at Our Fascinating Online Sustainability Seminar
As part of the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) that took place last month, the ASC was proud to sponsor a seminar on sustainability alongside the MSC and GAA. With…
Can Responsible Aquaculture Benefit US Climate Policy? We Think So
As awareness of responsible aquaculture’s wide-ranging benefits increases in the US, ASC is moving the conversation forward in more ways than one – particularly when it comes to climate change.…
Suspense, Responsible Seafood, and a Brilliant New Campaign
Question: what do Tuesdays, suspenseful TV dramas, and responsible seafood have in common? The answer is: Japan. Ok, we’ll give you a bit more information. These three very disparate themes…
Explained: What is RAS Aquaculture?
Aquaculture is an innovative industry – it doesn’t stand still for long. Fish farming has traditionally been done in either ponds or sea cages – in fact this practice goes…
ASC’s 10th Anniversary Book
In 2020 we were 10 years old, and as we couldn’t get together with our partners, ASC certified companies, and everyone who supports us, we decided to celebrate by writing…
Seaspiracy: Why We Believe Responsible Aquaculture is More Important than Ever
At ASC we’ve been working to improve standards in farmed seafood for a decade, so we are always pleased to see people talking about issues around responsible seafood. This is…
Looking Back At An Unforgettable Year
Let’s begin with an apology: we’re going to be looking back at 2020, which is a year that many would like to forget and instead focus on the future. That’s…
Vietnam’s First ASC Clam Farm Celebrates Certification
Vietnam is one of the biggest producers of ASC certified seafood with hundreds of certified farms, but one company still managed to achieve a first for the country last year.…
What’s Seafood Got To Do With Human Rights? More Than You Think…
Do you know what the most translated document in history is? It’s not any religious holy book, and it’s not an ancient masterpiece like The Art of War, and believe…
How Do We Know We’re Making a Difference? The Challenges of Measuring Impact
Here at ASC, we collectively work on transforming fish farming towards environmental sustainability and social responsibility. As an organization with relationships across the industry, we can’t just try hard and…
How ASC Farms Help Protect Vital Mangrove Forests: Pacific Reef in Australia
Mangrove forests are among the world’s most productive ecosystems and healthy mangroves are a precious, almost priceless resource. Mangroves can quite literally save lives during storms and extreme weather events…
How Our Latest Update Keeps Stakeholders at the Heart of ASC Certification
Last month we published a new process for variance requests to the ASC standards. I will admit that doesn’t sound like the most interesting publication in the world, but before…
Why World Food Day Is as Important as Ever in Its Seventy Fifth Year
Today is World Food Day – and although 2020 is a year like no other, the principles and messages behind this annual commemoration remain vitally important. Indeed, the vulnerable communities…
How ASC Farms Help Protect Vital Mangrove Forests: Omarsa in Ecuador
Mangrove forests are among the world’s most productive ecosystems and healthy mangroves are a precious, almost priceless resource. Mangroves can quite literally save lives during storms and extreme weather events…
We’ve Been Working Hard on New Fish Welfare Requirements – Here’s the Latest
The welfare of fish has been traditionally much less well understood than that of land-based farm animals – but at ASC we’ve been working hard to develop new requirements to…
Treat Your Heart to Some Responsibly Sourced Fish for World Heart Day
A joint blog by ASC and the Seafood Nutrition Partnership It’s hard at the moment to focus on health problems that aren’t you-know-what, but taking care of our long-term health…
5 Things We Learned from the M&E Report
Earlier this month we published our first Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) report. This is just one output from our Monitoring and Evaluation programme, which aims to measure the impacts and…
Spice Up Your Summer With These Simple Seafood Recipes
This may not have been the summer any of us had planned, and maybe you’re stuck at home when you should be enjoying a holiday right now. If so, all…
What’s the Point of Certifying Bivalves? Here Are a Few Reasons…
Mussels, oysters, scallops – they aren’t the most expressive of animals, they don’t move around much, and they feed by ‘filtering’ the water – which some scientists think could be…
This Report is Crammed With Fascinating Facts About the Seafood Industry
Did you know that 71% of the world’s fish is consumed in Asia? Or that the global amount of fish eaten per person has more than doubled since 1961? Those…
Diving, Fishing, Studying, Collecting: Meet the ASC Staff With a Passion for the Oceans
Every June 8 is World Oceans Day, an annual celebration of the oceans and a reminder of just how important it is that we cherish and protect them. At ASC…
Two Important Environmental Days on One Date
June 5 is an important date for those of us who love the oceans, for two reasons. It’s World Environment Day, which you may have heard of, but it’s also…
What Our New Salmon Standard Review Will Be Looking at, and Why It’s Important
In the last week of April, a two-day meeting (remote, of course) marked the start of a process looking at how the ASC Salmon Standard helps protect both farmed and…
Win-Win: Supporting a Certified Producer and Enjoying Delicious Seriola
Like in other countries, entrepreneurs and businesses in the Netherlands are being affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and ASC certified producer Kingfish Zeeland is one of those adapting and using…
Helping Promote Health and Safety for Seafood Workers
The ASC logo indicates responsibly produced seafood – but what exactly does that mean? Understandably, many people think mostly about the environmental side of things – seafood that was produced…
It’s Earth Day – Here’s How You Can Fight Climate Change With Your Food Choices
Today is Earth Day, and this year’s is a big milestone, marking fifty years since millions of people took part in protests on April 22 1970, helping to kick off…
Wild Fish in Aquaculture Feed: What Are the Facts?
At ASC we are always looking at the direct and indirect impacts of aquaculture and reviewing how we help the industry minimise them. This is the reason behind our imminent…
A Little Advice from a Work From Home Veteran
By Contessa Kellogg-Winters Over my nearly five years of working with ASC, more than half of which has been done over an ocean away from most of my team, I…
Climate Change on the Agenda at Vienna Conference
By Desirée Pesci Climate change could have far-reaching consequences for many fish farmers, and the solutions will require urgent and collaborative action across multiple sectors. In that spirit, ASC recently…
Two Decades Defying Expectations: Vinh Hoan’s Founder and Chairwoman Truong Thi Le Khanh
The seafood industry has been described as “women intensive but male dominated”, and despite around half of fisheries and aquaculture workers being women (and up to 90% of processing workers),…
Jersey Oyster’s Technical Manager Opens Up About ASC Certification
It’s hard to imagine a more scenic setting for aquaculture than Jersey Oyster Company’s site in the Royal Bay of Grouville on the south coast of the island, overlooked by…
ASC Shares Expertise with EU Group on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals
When fish welfare was discussed at a recent meeting of EU politicians, ASC’s Head of Standards & Science Michiel Fransen was on hand to deliver expertise based on ASC’s ongoing…
It’s the United Nations World Day of Social Justice: Here’s Why Social Justice is Important
Today is the United Nations World Day of Social Justice – but what is social justice, and why do we need an international day for it? The principles of social…
Five Ways to Enjoy ASC Certified Seafood this Valentine’s Day
Do you have plans for this Valentine’s Day, or do you prefer to pretend it isn’t happening? Whether you’re an unapologetic romantic who loves making February 14 a special occasion,…
Geographical Information Systems: A Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Datasets
A little more than a year ago, my colleague from the Program Assurance Team wrote a blog about the importance of knowing the location of ASC certified farms. What has…
Seafood, Surplus, and Family: New Year Celebrations in China, Vietnam and Korea
Let there be fish every year! That’s what you might hear at a Chinese New Year meal – because the Chinese word for fish is a homophone for the word…
Seaganism: Flash in the Pan or the Next Big Diet Trend?
It wouldn’t be January without learning about a new kind of diet, right? And just when you think you’ve heard of them all, a new one comes along. We like…
ASC Continues its Christmas Seafood World Tour
By Jack Cutforth, ASC Media Manager At ASC this month we’ve been celebrating some of the diverse seafood traditions celebrated in different countries. Last time we covered France and Australia,…
Oysters on Ice, Barbecued Prawns: Christmas Seafood Around the World
By Jack Cutforth, ASC Media Manager Complete the following sentence: “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without…” The chances are, your ending to that sentence will depend on where in the world…
Stuck for Inspiration this Christmas? Here are Salmon Recipes for Every Festive Occasion
For many of us, it wouldn’t be Christmas without salmon. Christmas is certainly a time of traditions – and arguing whose family tradition is best – but what if you…
ASC’s Marcelo Hidalgo Treats Colleagues to Traditional Shrimp Ceviche
Staff at ASC’s headquarters in Utrecht were treated to a delicious ceviche featuring ASC certified shrimp, courtesy of Marcelo Hidalgo, ASC Standard Coordinator. Marcelo whipped up his signature dish, a…
Responsible Seafood Must be Part of Climate Change Solution
Last week’s report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made for stark reading for anyone concerned about climate change. And we would argue that it should be…
NEW INFORMATION UNDERPINS ASC’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO REDUCING SEA LICE TREATMENTS
When the salmon standard was originally drafted there was limited information available on how often salmon were treated to remove sea lice. ASC has more recently been able to collect…
ASC Improves Consistency of its Approach to Assessing Freshwater Salmonids
Introduction The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Freshwater Trout Standard has been updated and strengthened following a rigorous multi-stakeholder, science-based review process, as part of ASC’s ongoing commitment to continuously improve…
World Oceans Day: Fighting Ghost Gear and Plastic Waste
This Saturday people around the globe will come together to celebrate World Oceans Day, the annual observation to help protect and conserve the world’s oceans for a better future. A…
The current state of sea lice management
By Ron Tardiff, Science and Standards Intern In order for ASC to determine whether to revise sea lice management indicators in the Salmon Standard, it is helpful to have an…
Earth Day and Easter
It’s fair to say that many people around the world will have a busy weekend of travelling and seeing family coming up. Passover begins on Friday, while many countries will…
Pacific Reef Fisheries’ Environmental Officer discusses certification and the many ways to enjoy cobia
One of the companies that’s been celebrating Sustainable Seafood Week in Australia is Pacific Reef Fisheries. Based in the small town of Ayr, Queensland, Pacific Reef Fisheries is the first…
How does ASC measure its impact? An introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation
ASC’s mission is to “transform aquaculture towards environmental sustainability and social responsibility”. Having a well-defined mission is so important – but it’s not enough on its own. Because if we…
A day in the life … Meet Vân Roetert, our head of Programme Assurance
Four years ago, Vietnamese-born Vân Roetert joined the ASC, and in May last year she set up our programme assurance team to ensure that integrity was at the forefront of…
A day in the life – meet Janneke Aelen our Standards Coordinator
Dutch born Janneke Aelen is one of our latest recruits and started working with ASC in October 2018 as a standards coordinator in the Standards and Science team. By Nicki Holmyard…
ASC salmon is a responsible and climate-friendly choice
Today is the kick-off of the Think Fish Week in France. A campaign week in which we want to make French consumers aware that they have the choice to buy…
An introduction to the Programme assurance team
In September 2018 I joined the ASC Programme Assurance (PA) team as an intern, and now that I’m acquainted with the many activities of ASC’s newest team I thought I’d…
Aquaculture – a practice with an ancient past
Aquaculture is sometimes referred to as a young industry – and while it’s true that as an industry it has really started to expand in the last three decades, the…
New tool provides accurate farm location information
What is the first information you expect to see in an ASC farm audit report? You will probably want to know what the farm produces and where the farm is…
Operational reviews: tool to ensure ongoing improvements
ASC standards are the result of an extremely thorough development process, but our programme isn’t static and we are always looking for opportunities to adapt to changes in the industry.…
Animal welfare: an important topic
In the livestock industry, animal welfare is a widely discussed topic. Multiple schemes have been created to address the strong opinions held by some consumers regarding the treatment of the…
World Food Day: A Beginner’s Guide
Do you know what’s special about today’s date? If your answer is that it’s two weeks until Halloween, you’re technically correct – but you’ve forgotten about an even more important…
Innovations in the Scottish salmon industry
Scotland is known for its wild beauty, strong cultural traditions and for several stand-out signature dishes—salmon chief amongst them. Naturally, any trip to the country will always be good fun.…
ASC workshop brings together shrimp producers and retailers to share knowledge
The ASC’s theory of change aims to use market forces, generating demand for responsibly produced seafood, rewarding responsible producers and incentivising more farms to work towards the ASC’s robust standards.…
What we learned from the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently published The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 (SOFIA), which as you may have guessed from the title…
Reviewing our approach to sea lice
By Ron Tardiff, Science and Standards Intern In June, I joined the ASC as a Science and Standards Intern conducting research on best (but also worst) practices in farm siting…
Promoting biodiversity: ASC brings aquaculture expertise to UN Food and Agricultural Organisation dialogues
The ASC represented global aquaculture with a keynote speech at a multi-stakeholder dialogue on biodiversity hosted by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in May. The…
It’s World Oceans Day!
Do you ever think about the vital role oceans play for life on earth? The oceans provide 50% of our oxygen and may be home to as much as 75-80%…
The ASC raises awareness about responsible seafood at SIAL 2018
On 16th May ASC hosted a cooking demonstration at SIAL 2018 in Shangai, China. SIAL is Asia’s largest food innovation exhibition and this year ASC attended for the first time…
GSI members have reduced medicine use, incorporated more sustainable feed
Transparency: GSI publishes Sustainability data The Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) has published online in April its 5th set of (2017) sustainability data, presented per company and per region, which covers…
Bamboo Sushi becomes first restaurant in USA to feature ASC logo
Patrons of Bamboo Sushi in Oregon will be the very first to in America to order from a menu featuring the ASC logo. This mark can only be found on…
Five Things We Saw at an ASC Certified Salmon Farm in Norway
Consumers all over the world love salmon. Some of it comes from salmon farms along the coastlines of Norway. You might have seen some documentaries on the salmon industry –…
Why Rio 2016’s Embrace of Certified Seafood is Important
There is nothing quite like the excitement of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Every four years, we join in a global celebration and get swept up in the joy…
CELEBRATING THE FIRST ASC CERTIFIED FISHERY IN JAPAN: Some Personal Reflections by John White, Director for Development, ASC
Photo: WWF Japan I may never have met Kiyohiro Gotoh if he had not decided to have his hair cut on the afternoon of 11th March 2011. At 2.46pm on…
What’s for dinner?
By Scott Nichols Somewhere near the middle of the century there will be 2 billion more of us on the planet. That’s a very big number of new folks to…
For the Future of the Ocean
From the time we are very young, no matter where in the world we may live, we are told of the importance of the ocean. As we grow up we…
A Day in the Life of: Standards and Certification Coordinator, Haruko Horii
My life’s journey brought me to the Netherlands six years ago. Having attained a social science degree from Hosei University in Japan, and after learning Portuguese at Macau University in…
In Celebration of Earth Day 2016
On April 22 each year, the world celebrates Earth Day. The annual event is a time to think critically about the ways our choices— both individually and collectively— affect the…
A Day in the Life of: Communications Intern Raili Laansalu
My co-students and I always joke about who brings the most coffee and does the most scanning at their internship. Well, even though coffee (drinking) and scanning take up some…
More certifiers accredited as more farms enter the ASC programme
By Kim Thanh Nguyen, ASC Trainer I have worked in the seafood industry for almost 15 years in a variety of roles, including aquaculture auditing, factory quality assurance, fishery research…
The principles behind the ASC standards
By Bas Geerts, ASC Standards Director I often get asked what the ASC programme does and doesn’t cover and why. The ASC label on products assures buyers that their seafood…
A logo, an identity
By Pasquale Comità, Communication & Social Media Intern During my studies in Business Communication, I developed a passion for logos and their capacity to convey messages, concepts and even emotions…
A foundation of credible practice
By ThanhVan Cao, ASC Senior Standards & Certification Coordinator I am relatively new to the ASC, so I still have the benefit of an ‘external’ view of the business. Currently…
Five questions about… Chain of Custody
We caught up with Leonor Fishman, Product Integrity Manager at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), to talk about the concept of Chain of Custody, why it is important, and how…
Responsible fish feed for the future of aquaculture
By Michiel Fransen, ASC’s Standards Coordinator and Secretary of the Responsible Feed Project When we try to define what responsible aquaculture means, most people usually only think of farm level…
A journey towards responsible shrimp farming in Belize
By Mauricio Mejia, WWF Central America In 2006, I met for the first time with representatives of the Belize Shrimp Growers Association to talk about what needed to be done…
ASC’s Theory of Change
By Esther Luiten, ASC’s Commercial Manager I have been responsible for ASC’s outreach work since mid-October 2013. My primary role is to make sure that committed retail and brand companies…
Assessing a farm against the ASC standards
By Sian Morgan, Lead Auditor, SCS Global Services It’s a sweltering day in Thailand, and the earthen shrimp ponds in front of me appear surprisingly calm, given the large volume…
Raising the standards of Vietnamese shrimp aquaculture
By Elies Arps, WWF Netherlands Being Dutch, I am used to living in a densely populated country where almost all land is cultivated. Travelling to the southernmost part of Vietnam…
Working together to achieve a shared vision
By Chris Ninnes, ASC’s CEO At a high level I believe all those involved in farming and selling seafood want to do so with lower environmental and social impacts. We…
Welcome to ASC’s blog
The ASC has been on Twitter and LinkedIn for a little while now, however, we can’t always provide the information you need in enough detail to be helpful via these…
