Go directly to content
TraceASC: Digital traceability for ASC certified farmed seafood
TraceASC is our pioneering digital traceability project that improves transparency in ASC certified supply chains and enhances confidence in the farmed seafood industry.
Farmed seafood supply chains are often long and complex. Greater levels of transparency, digital traceability and verifiable information play a key role in meeting industry demands and expectations.
This protects the integrity of responsible organisations across the industry and empowers consumers to make informed choices about the seafood they buy.
How it works
TraceASC uses software to capture and convey Key Data Elements (KDEs) from ASC certified farms, throughout the supply chain, to retailers.
As an ASC certified product moves along the supply chain, the KDEs are transferred digitally using a unique code. This enhances traceability and transparency for everyone sourcing, selling and buying ASC certified seafood.
MyASC is the online platform used by ASC to manage its farm and feed mill certification administration. All ASC related data submissions, including KDEs for TraceASC, are done on this platform.
ASC has confidential access to all data collected to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of product integrity investigations and other programme assurance activities, including monitoring and evaluation.
What it means for ASC certified supply chains
The initial focus of TraceASC was on shrimp supply chains with products originating from Southeast Asia. ASC certified shrimp farms and processing facilities in Vietnam, India and Bangladesh are already participating. In 2025 we are extending this scope to include shrimp originating from Ecuador.
This successful roll-out for shrimp supply chains has tested and proved the tool’s capability and we are now expanding to other species and geographies.
TraceASC offers retailers a quicker and more accurate alert to any supply chain issues while also helping evidence that they are meeting environmental and social commitments, empowering them to address ESG issues.
TraceASC offers suppliers digital access to certified seafood transactions and all relevant documents in one place, through an easy-to-use platform that tracks GDST compliant KDEs.
Collaborating for progress
ASC has worked closely with other organisations and large-scale traceability initiatives, including the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) which ASC has been endorsing since 2022, to develop and progress this project as we have shared objectives.
One of these is interoperability, which we aim to achieve initially by providing a standardised ASC API. We will build on this at a later stage by using the GS1 standards for data exchange between different software providers and MyASC.
In TraceASC, GDST compliant Key Data Elements are tracked.
Using TraceASC means you have data available in a digital format that you can easily incorporate into your internal processes and reporting
TraceASC is part of a suite of new tools, using the latest technology and adapting successful methods from other sectors, that ASC is championing to offer the most robust traceability and in the certified seafood sector.
Please feel free to contact the TraceASC team for more information and updates at trace@asc-aqua.org
Page updated January 2025.
TraceASC FAQs
Which Key Data Elements (KDEs) are collected?
The KDEs captured include species name, stock size and volume, source of broodstock, production method, country of origin and location of farm, transportation documents, source and certification status of feed ingredients and processing details.
How can joining TraceASC benefit processors and retailers?
- Meet industry demand for greater seafood supply chain transparency, reduce the risk of seafood fraud and enhance confidence in the farmed seafood industry.
- Provide digital evidence to support the claims you make about your products.
- Set your company apart by promoting full traceability, engagement and transparency
- Mitigate your sourcing risk and benefit from increased traceability, clarity over and insights into your supply chain
- Be alerted more rapidly and with greater accuracy to any issues in your supply chain
- Digitalised documents, all in one place: eliminate the time-consuming and less reliable paper-based traceability
- Shared objectives with and mainly GDST aligned
- Be in a stronger position to meet traceability requirements and environmental and social commitments
- Access product sourcing information beyond tier 1 suppliers, and use these data points to verify sourcing requirements are met
- Potential for using data to measure impacts of sourcing
What is GDST (Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability)?
The GDST is an international, business-to-business platform that developed interoperable industry standards to improve the reliability of seafood information, reduce the cost of seafood traceability, contribute to supply chain risk reduction, and contribute to securing the long-term social and environmental sustainability of the sector.
What is ASC’s position on/alignment with GDST?
Both ASC and GDST foresee a future in seafood supply chains in which digital traceability of sustainably produced seafood has become business as usual. In TraceASC, GDST compliant Key Data Elements are tracked.
ASC is a member of the GDST and endorses the GDST standard, recognising the value of standardisation of data collection (KDEs) and digital interoperability across systems. We are part of a GDST working group improving definitions of KDEs to make implementation easier.
We are at the beginning of this journey; there is a wide variety of practices, approaches and lack of standardisation in seafood supply chains to record traceability data.
Is TraceASC a joint project with MSC?
No, TraceASC is not a joint project with MSC, but ASC aims for it to remain compatible with the traceability requirements of the MSC Chain of Custody. MSC is in the process of developing its own digital traceability verification tool.
What feed details are collected?
ASC requests the name of the feed supplier, certification of the feed, and confirmation of the presence of soya, palm oil, marine ingredients, and GMOs.
You might be interested in…
