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ASC and Kaleka – a non-profit which aims to support the management of Indonesia’s ecosystems for the benefit of local and indigenous communities – have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the shared goal of driving responsible aquaculture practices in Seruyan district. Under the MOU, ASC will guide the implementation of a jurisdictional Aquaculture Improvement Programme in Seruyan in collaboration with farmers and other local and international organisations.
This is the first example of a jurisdictional approach within ASC’s Improver Programme and will be facilitated by a regional entity composed of seafood farmers, government officials, and other district stakeholders. The long-term potential of the project could lead to the development of jurisdictional certification requirements within ASC, allowing seafood farmers in the Seruyan district and other regions to become certified under the jurisdictional entity, creating effective assurance mechanisms at scale and driving impact beyond the level of the farm.
“We are incredibly pleased to help design and pilot this jurisdictional approach as it poses the potential for driving impact at scale. Jurisdictional approaches can provide a holistic pathway to managing critical impacts ranging from deforestation and other forms of land conversion to community impacts that go beyond the level of the farm,” said Roy van Daatselaar, leader of ASC’s Improver Programme, in a press release.
“ASC has set the ambition to transform the industry towards environmental sustainability and social responsibility. This means that we need to bring transformative change to the sector, and we need to rethink how our certification and assurance systems, as well as the support we offer through our Improver Programme, can be replicated at scale. The collaboration with KALEKA allows us to develop and test approaches that we believe will be instrumental for that future in terms of how the industry can effectively manage impacts and assurances throughout the supply chain,” he added.
The outcomes of the jurisdictional AIP will be used as learning for how future jurisdictional certification for aquaculture could operate and will be promoted to the global marketplace to gain endorsement and market recognition for improvements made.
