© ASC
The ASC Annual Impacts Report: 2023 in Review covers the whole aquaculture value chain, from production to markets, and combines facts and figures with case studies which tell the story of another year of strong growth and increased impact for ASC. Improvements made in ASC certified farms benefit ecosystems, farm workers and the health of farmed species.
Report highlights 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 percent from 2022.
- 6.4 percent more ASC labelled products were available across 116 countries.
- There were 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 our public consultation on the ASC Farm Standard - the largest overhaul of ASC certification to better register key stakeholders’ voice and insights. The new Farm 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.
As the organisation’s CEO, Chris Ninnes said in a press release: “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.
“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.”
