The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has hailed 2025 a milestone year, with major advances achieved in responsible aquaculture, an expansion of its global partnerships and the strengthening of its certification programmes across the seafood supply chain.
In a review of the past 12 months, it explained that a central achievement was the launch of the ASC Farm Standard at Seafood Expo Global in May — the most significant update to ASC certification since the organisation was founded. The new standard consolidates ASC’s environmental, social and animal-welfare requirements into a single framework, offering producers and buyers a clearer, more robust pathway to demonstrate responsible farming practices. Throughout the year, ASC supported farms and auditors with training, guidance, mock audits and direct engagement to prepare for a smooth transition.
The Farm Standard introduced comprehensive animal-welfare requirements, while ASC experts contributed to international forums highlighting the links between welfare, farm performance and climate resilience. Regional teams across Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe worked directly with producers to strengthen husbandry practices and biosecurity, reinforcing ASC’s science-based leadership in the sector.
ASC also expanded its work on human rights, advancing initiatives on worker voice, living wage, and community and Indigenous rights. Research and training tools were rolled out across key seafood-producing regions, and early revisions to the Chain of Custody module — with a stronger human-rights focus — are expected to go to public consultation in 2026.
Strengthening responsible supply chains from feed to farm
Meanwhile, ASC’s Feed Standard continued to grow its global reach in 2025, tackling key risks such as deforestation, overfishing and forced labour. A major milestone came into force on 31 October: ASC-certified farms must now use ASC-conforming feed sourced from certified mills, tightening supply-chain integrity and transparency.
As of December 2025, 72 feed mills across 29 countries were ASC-certified.
Programme expansion also accelerated. The organisation added Atlantic cod to the revised Salmon and Cod Standard (v1.5) and made progress toward including multiple catfish species. Meanwhile, the ASC Improver Programme now includes 20 Aquaculture Improvement Projects across six countries, with strengthened regional capacity building.
Partnerships driving demand for responsible seafood
Collaboration remained central to ASC’s work. In 2025 the organisation signed an MoU with South Korea’s National Institute of Fisheries Science, partnered with Labeyrie Fine Foods and Omarsa on mangrove restoration in Ecuador, and worked with the Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana on a national Code of Good Practice. ASC also continued its partnership with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership to drive landscape-level improvements in the Indian shrimp sector.
ASC’s marketing and outreach efforts grew significantly, with new retailer and foodservice partnerships and consumer-facing campaigns. These included a major push in North America through restaurant collaborations and media tours, the “Check Your Fish” campaign across Europe, and activations for Sustainable Seafood Week in Japan. Awards programmes — in Australia, the Nordics, the UK and Germany — helped further raise awareness of the ASC label.
Growing retail partnerships in Southern Europe increased the availability of ASC-labelled seabass, trout and salmon, strengthening consumer access to certified seafood.
Industry leadership and digital innovation
ASC’s global presence also expanded at industry events, with teams participating in 62 gatherings and speaking at more than 30. Discovery Tours in Scotland and Norway provided buyers with first-hand insight into ASC-certified salmon production.
Digital innovation continued to enhance programme assurance. The new ASC Programme Centre offers a central hub for navigating ASC Standards, while the Online Farm Mapping Tool improves data accuracy and streamlines audit preparation. At the Global Shrimp Forum, ASC highlighted how its TraceASC digital traceability system is helping producers cut paperwork, verify sustainability and access new markets.
ASC CEO Chris Ninnes said the organisation had “made real strides” during 2025.
“We have advanced our programme, partnered with leaders across the sector and championed responsible aquaculture on the world stage,” he said. “As we move into 2026, we are energised by the opportunities ahead to strengthen our impact and help responsibly farmed seafood become the natural choice for everyone.”
