A sixth standard has been received by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) – the Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue.
This standard joins those for tilapia, pangasius, bivalves (mussels, oysters, clams, scallops), abalone and salmon.
The ASC freshwater trout standard is keenly anticipated by the market and has received a warm welcome by Gottfried-Friedrichs, Germany’s leading quality seafood brand. “Friedrichs is looking forward to the ASC-certification of trout farms later this year,” said marketing manager Kathrin Runge. “We are preparing for the certification with of our suppliers and internally and want to launch ASC-certified trout in the European market as soon as possible.”
The confidence in the ASC and the trout standard is similarly strong from the farming sector. Brian Thomsen, director of The Danish Aquaculture Organisation, has been quick to express his commitment: “We are delighted to learn that the global standards for responsible farming of freshwater trout has passed yet another historical milestone with the hand-over to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. Our fish farmers and processing companies are set to go. We believe there is a strong and growing demand for responsibly farmed fish and we remain committed to spearhead this development to the benefit of consumers and society.”
In Europe trout is mainly farmed in France, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Turkey, UK and Germany, while outside Europe, large production takes place in USA, Iran and Chile. For ASC, this means new production territories besides Asia and South America. Worldwide production of freshwater trout is estimated at 750,000-800,000 tonnes and is steadily growing. A variety of production systems are used ranging from cages in lakes, to pond culture and flow-through and recirculation systems. Trout are marketed as whole fish, fillets and various smoked and canned products. Farming of trout can have negative impacts on the environment and society and the ASC standards addresses issues such as disease prevention, minimising the outflow of nutrients from the farm, responsible use of water and preventing escapes.
Preparation for ASC’s pilot testing of the draft Trout Audit Manual (a guiding document for farms and auditors) is underway and will start over the coming weeks in collaboration with producers globally. The results from the pilots will be fed into the final Trout Audit Manual.
ASC certified trout is expected to be available in the market before the end of 2013.
