ASC demonstrates increased impact on people and planet

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A wide range of environmental and social impacts were delivered by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) programme in 2023, according to its new interactive ‘ASC Annual Impacts Report: 2023 in Review’, which encapsulates the work ASC does on the ground – from production to markets.

ASC impacts report

This is the third year ASC has produced an impacts report. All reports are available on the organisation’s website

Highlights from the report include:

2,062 ASC certified farms worldwide covering 58 different species delivered 2.04 million tonnes of responsibly-produced seafood – an increase of 8.6% from 2022
In the marketplace, seafood lovers found more ASC-labelled products on their shelves. 6.4% more ASC-labelled products were available across 116 countries (+17%) in 2023
Over 3,000 improvements made to drive social responsibility and over 4,300 improvements to drive environmental sustainability
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
Since the ASC Feed Standard launch in January 2023, nine feed mills have been certified and more mills continue to join the programme, reducing negative impacts including deforestation, land conversion and child and forced labour
1,367 audits of farm performances were conducted by 12 accredited independent Conformity Bodies (CABs) year-round across 51 countries to deliver programme integrity
Over 300 stakeholders participated in the public consultation on the ASC Farm Standard. The new standard will align all ASC species-specific standards into a single global, robust standard. ASC will finalise the Farm Standard in 2024 and operationalise it in 2025

ASC CEO Chris Ninnes said: “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.

“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.

“According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, farmed seafood surpassed wild-caught fish for the first time in 2022. The continual growth of aquaculture emphasises the need to drive improvements and reward responsible practices.”

Ninnes continued, “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.

“We plan to continue setting the standard for seafood and grow the programme further with ongoing investment in dedicated ASC campaigns and more valuable new services for our partners.”