Fisheries participating in the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Improvement Program will now be formally recognised under the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s (ASC) Feed Standard, creating new incentives for fisheries supplying ingredients to aquaculture.
The MSC launched its Improvement Program in 2024 to help fisheries worldwide make measurable progress toward meeting the MSC Fisheries Standard.
With the latest development, reduction fisheries producing fishmeal and fish oil for aquaculture feed and engaged in the Improvement Program are now included within ASC’s sustainability ladder for marine ingredients.
“This explicit recognition of fisheries in the MSC Improvement Program brings new incentives for reduction fisheries to improve their ecological performance,” said Amanda Lejbowicz, MSC’s head of Fisheries Standard Accessibility.
“The sustainability of fish feed has a vital role to play in tackling overfishing, with a significant proportion of wild-caught seafood used in aquaculture.”
The ASC Feed Standard sets requirements for responsible sourcing of marine ingredients used in aquaculture. Feed mills seeking ASC certification must demonstrate sustainability credentials and show continuous improvement every three years, progressing toward a majority of marine raw materials coming from MSC-certified fisheries.
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Under the ASC framework, certified feed mills must conduct due diligence on ingredients representing more than 1% of annual aquafeed volumes. Over 50% of whole fish ingredients must meet Majority Sustainable Level requirements, demonstrating ongoing improvement.
“The ASC Feed Standard already recognised MSC certification as the gold standard for environmentally sustainable whole fish and now also recognises those fisheries working through the Improvement Program to reach this high bar,” added Lejbowicz.
