Rationale

The aquaculture industry is ideally positioned to help provide the food needed to support a growing global population due to its smaller environmental footprint than many land-based animal sources. Maintaining this advantage requires ongoing stewardship of the environmental impacts. Through the initiatives outlined in this principle, ASC supports the industry to develop in an environmentally responsible manner to meet this challenge.

Aquaculture relies on ecosystems to provide resources, including water, as well as the absorption of its outputs, including waste from farm processes, to operate.1414Gephart, J. A., Henriksson, P. J., Parker, R. W., Shepon, A., Gorospe, K. D., Bergman, K., … & Troell, M. (2021). Environmental performance of blue foods. Nature, 597(7876), 360-365. Without proper management, the environment’s capacity to keep providing these resources and assuming these outputs can be exceeded, leading to concerns about biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, and inefficient resource use.

This principle’s criteria focus on effective resource management, efficient feed use, safe waste disposal – including handling hazardous materials and plastics – and re-use of biosolids. Through these means, ASC-certified farms manage their inputs from, and outputs into, the ecosystem responsibly and contribute to a circular economy (recycling and reusing existing materials to extend their life cycle1515Chary, K., van Riel, A. J., Muscat, A., Wilfart, A., Harchaoui, S., Verdegem, M., … & Wiegertjes, G. F. (2024). Transforming sustainable aquaculture by applying circularity principles. Reviews in Aquaculture, 16(2), 656-673.).

Aquaculture farms affect nearby habitats and species through both siting and operational activities. Choosing farm sites carefully is crucial to protect ecologically sensitive areas and managing farm practices is equally important. This includes managing benthic impacts, controlling nutrient release into open waters, reducing wildlife conflict, and preventing farmed animals from escaping and affecting native biodiversity. Addressing these challenges is key to tackling global biodiversity loss1616Aguilar-Manjarrez, J., Soto, D., & Brummett, R. (2017) Aquaculture zoning, site selection and area management under the ecosystem approach to aquaculture. A handbook. Rome, Italy: FAO..

Rationale

The aquaculture industry plays a vital role in global food production and economic growth, however its rapid expansion has raised concerns about the social and environmental impacts driven by irresponsible practices.

With rising consumer awareness and demand for responsibly produced food, businesses must be able to trace the origins of their seafood to verify that it is produced responsibly and ethically.

As the industry continues to develop, it is important to comply with law, uphold business ethics and ensure supply chain traceability and transparency as a framework to build a long-lasting industry. This benefits producers, the communities that depend on aquaculture and consumers.

This principle’s criteria address the shortfall that occurs in some regions between national legislation, enforcement and good practice, due to the rapid growth of seafood farming. This ensures that ASC-certified farms are well-managed and legally compliant, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable seafood farming industry.