Rationale 2.3

Over 45,000 wildlife species are at risk of extinction, many of them occurring in environments suitable for aquaculture.2323IUCN. (2024). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2024-1. https://www.iucnredlist.org Human-wildlife interactions can occur in numerous ways, from direct Human-Wildlife Conflict with animals to disruption of migration routes, disturbance to diurnal cycles or alteration of local food availability.

Aquaculture operations may result in human-wildlife interactions and conflict in many ways. Farms may rely on wildlife directly for collection of larvae, juveniles, or breeding stock. Their vessels, infrastructure, or equipment may disturb or interact with wildlife. They may also use deterrent devices to discourage predators or pests from approaching pens or cages. Risk to wildlife from these interactions should be assessed and mitigated and, when injuries or mortalities do occur, corrective measures need to be put into place to avoid similar future occurrences.

This Criterion focuses on the minimisation of ASC-certified farms’ interaction with wildlife to reduce injury and mortalities, especially interactions involving threatened or endangered species.

Intent – The aquaculture industry prioritises the protection of threatened species by minimising negative interactions with wildlife.