Indonesian shrimp farm PT Koyo Segoro Endah (KSE) has become the first farm to earn Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification after participating in an aquaculture improvement project (AIP) under the organisation’s Improver Programme.
The scheme supports seafood farms that are committed to improving their farming practices through an AIP and are not yet ready or eligible for ASC certification.
“Our ASC certification means that we now have a place in the global marketplace and are meeting the demand for responsibly farmed shrimp—a milestone we couldn’t have reached without ASC’s Improver Programme” KSE Farm Manager Rudyanto said.
Certification is thanks to the effort of multiple partners, including processor Sekar Bumi, NGO ThinkAqua, ASC and NGO Yayasan Sinergi Akuakultur Indonesia (YSAI) as implementer for the AIP.
“The support we received from our partners throughout this process was invaluable. It gave us the knowledge and confidence we needed to move forward to ASC certification,” Rudyanto said.
“The YSAI team has many years of experience supporting broad improvements in the shrimp sector in Indonesia, and we have been excited to help KSE become an ASC certified farm,” added Kenidas Lukman, CEO of YSAI.
According to ASC’s Roy van Daatselaar, the Improver Programme gives farms a well-supported, staged approach to make improvements and ultimately attain ASC certification.
“KSE’s certification is evidence that step-by-step improvement works, and we extend a big congratulations to them on the great work they have done,” he said.
“As a quality supplier to global markets, we know that there is increasing demand for ASC certified shrimp. The AIP process gave us a pipeline to supply that demand,” said Pak Gary Iyawan, Operations Director at Sekar Bumi.
