The standard will help reduce the adverse environmental and social impacts of Seriola and cobia farming. It has been developed by the Seriola/Cobia Aquaculture Dialogues, a series of open and transparent round-table discussions coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The process has involved fish farmers, seafood processors, retailers and foodservice operators, conservationists, scientists, government agencies and other Seriola and cobia stakeholders.
Once the standard is finalised, it will be handed over to the ASC. Before farms can be audited, ASC will develop the Seriola/Cobia Audit Manual, a document to guide auditors and farmers seeking certification. The Audit Manual will be pilot tested in early 2014 with producers worldwide.
Certifiers who want to perform audits must first comply with ASC’s accreditation and certification requirements to demonstrate their competence. The accreditation is independently administered by Accreditation Services International (ASI). All auditors must also successfully conclude a standard-specific ASC training course for auditors. The training will be scheduled shortly after the Audit Manual has been finalised.
The first farm audits against the Seriola/Cobia Standard are expected by mid- 2014. ASC certified products will follow shortly after.
To download a copy of the standard visit http://www.worldwildlife.org/SeriolaCobiastandards
