ASC Around the World: Sharing stories about responsible seafood

There’s always a good story to share about responsible seafood. At the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), we don’t run out of them. Around the world, there is an increasing awareness of seafood sustainability, and also of the ASC logo among consumers.

Through our campaigns across different global regions, we aim to strengthen this even further. “We want to create a fun, educational environment that allows consumers to engage with our messaging, increases recognition of our on-pack logo, and helps them to make conscious purchasing choices year-round,” ASC B2C Campaign Manager Merel den Held said.

Let’s go on a virtual trip and see what exciting events are in store for our seafood lovers!

Click here to download the infographic with more details about our campaigns around the globe.

Belgium/Netherlands: De Bewuste Visweek/La Semaine de la Pêche Responsable

Finishing September strong was our Bewuste Visweek (Think Fish Week)/La Semaine de la Pêche Responsable campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands. De Bewuste Visweek/La Semaine de la Pêche Responsable ran from September 26 to October 2. With the theme “A Good Story On Your Plate,” this joint ASC and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) campaign aimed to engage and inspire consumers to understand the story behind the seafood they eat, and get to know the farmers and fishmongers who produce it. Having the ASC and MSC logos on every pack of fish you buy means the seafood you enjoy is farmed and caught responsibly.

During the Think Fish Week, we aim to introduce fish lovers, and curious foodies, to the certified species available in the Netherlands. We’re bringing attention to both well-known species in the country, such as salmon and shrimp, but also to less well-known species, such as sea bream, yellowtail and horse mackerel, by telling the stories from the certified farmers and fishermen.

In Belgium, ASC also partnered with the NGO Join for Water for our scampi (shrimp) campaign with culinary influencers, who encouraged their followers to team up with ASC and support the mangrove reforestation project. A lively YouTube ads campaign showing shrimp farmers in action and replanting mangroves further reinforced the message that the shrimp on your plate better be responsible if you want to protect these vital ecosystems and the people living in the area.

UK: ASC UK Retailer of the Year 2022 and ASC Retail Supplier of the Year 2022

On October 20^th, ASC and MSC are holding the annual UK Awards in Scotland. The annual awards, hosted by MSC, have recognised responsible seafood for nine years across different categories.

This is the second year that ASC is sponsoring an award for the “ASC UK Retailer of the Year.”

For the first time, we are also proud to announce that ASC will be awarding the “ASC UK Retail Supplier of the Year 2022”. This award recognises the work which is involved from the supply base to drive sustainability within the supply chain.

The UK demand for ASC labelled products is growing at +51% year-on-year. That means customers can choose from almost 1,500 products in stores ranging from fresh, frozen, or on-the-go. The choice of locally farmed responsible seafood is also increasing for UK shoppers, with 31 ASC certified farms in the country producing salmon, freshwater trout and mussels. The first half of this year alone has seen an increase in 25% more certified farms in UK.

Germany, Austria, Switzerland: Check deinen Fisch

From Northwestern Europe, let’s move a little bit further south to the DACH region which covers Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The campaign called Check Deinen Fisch (Check Your Fish), is also a joint partnership between ASC and MSC, running from September 26 to October 9.

The campaign message is simple: check your fish. Seafood lovers can make the right choice easily by checking the logo on the seafood they purchase to make sure that it is produced responsibly.

In this campaign, we featured and followed Cara, a fish lover, on her journey into the world of responsible fish. In this expedition, she met with fishermen, farmers, producers, and fellow seafood lovers who value sustainability. At one stop, Cara meets Ivana, a marine biologist working at an ASC-certified farm, and explains how the ASC certification positively impacts the people and the environment not only of the farm itself, but also in the surrounding area. For example, ASC does not allow farms to be too close to seagrass beds and must be at least half a kilometer away. On the last visit of her trip, she gets acquainted with a surprisingly different type of fish lover. Curious about who that is? You will find out more on the Check Deinen Fisch campaign website.

Japan: Sustainable Seafood Week

Exciting things are also happening on the other side of the world as Japan celebrates the Sustainable Seafood Week. With a joint key message with MSC, this year’s theme is “Choose and Protect the Future of Fish”.

Cooking sustainable seafood is the main attraction during the week, with active participation from consumers online. In this campaign -which runs from October 3 to November 14- social media is used as a key platform in encouraging consumers to choose sustainable seafood for their daily menu.

And what better way to engage with consumers online than through social media? A Twitter  campaign featuring a Japanese comedian will show his cooking skills using ASC-certified seafood. On Instagram, food lovers will get to be inspired by different seafood dishes prepared by five chosen influencers.

US: The New Way to Seafood

If you are a sea-foodie, then you’ll enjoy the month-long festivities in the US as ASC joins the celebration of National Seafood Month in October. This year it’s all about creating a holistic experience for shoppers and diners – we call it The New Way to Seafood.

Taking inspiration from Japanese cuisine, ASC kicks off the celebrations this September with the “Sushi Maki Certified Seafood Experience.” Set on the coast of Miami, the campaign jump-started with a sun-soaked seafood celebration and features an array of activities throughout October creating greater awareness towards responsibly farmed, ASC-certified seafood.

In the same week, ASC hosted an exclusive dinner where guests experienced a New Way to Seafood amidst Philadelphia’s thriving food scene. The experience, curated by James Beard Award-nominated writer and sustainability advocate Kiki Aranita, featured an ASC-certified menu including craft-raised salmon poké tostada, maple salmon gaugee, sesame salmon katsu, and perilla roasted mushrooms, courtesy of Skuna Bay Salmon.

This food fest continues in October as ASC and Pescanova USA take certified seafood to South Beach Miami at the Nation’s biggest seafood beach party: Miami’s South Beach Seafood Festival.

To round out National Seafood Month, ASC is teaming up with Fortune Fish & Gourmet at their Coastal Seafoods retail locations for an exclusive Halloween-themed closing celebration in the Twin Cities: A Scary Good Certified Seafood Celebration. This will recap a month-long promotion of ASC-certified grouper, salmon, and shrimp at Coastal Seafoods. Costumes are optional – but if anyone wants to dress up and party as a giant shrimp, no one is stopping them!

A healthy, responsible choice

“ASC has identified health as the number one reason why consumers are buying their seafood. Therefore, we want to make our campaigns towards responsible seafood as enjoyable as possible presenting ASC-certified seafood as a healthy and responsible option for their daily meals,” den Held says.

To find out more about our latest consumer survey on sustainable seafood, visit this link.