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Community Engagement and Indigenous Rights
At ASC, we believe aquaculture can be a global force for good, one where the human rights of those involved are not only respected but actively advanced.
This includes the rights of communities and Indigenous peoples that live near aquaculture farms, feed mills and other operations. These have a duty to be a good neighbour; working with communities to assess potential impacts and protect their livelihoods and traditions, and ensuring they have a voice that is heard.
Why this matters
Seafood farming supports the livelihoods of millions globally. Yet, without due care, the operations involved can inadvertently harm communities by:
- encroaching on land
- harming natural resources
- undermining livelihoods and traditions, or
- sidelining local voices.
ASC exists to prevent these issues and promote fair, respectful relationships between aquaculture operations and their neighbours.
Addressing risks through the ASC Standards
Grounded in fundamental human rights, the ASC Farm Standard addresses these risks. ASC certified farms are required to:
- publicly commit to respecting community and Indigenous rights within their policies;
- establish grievance procedures accessible to local communities and Indigenous peoples, ensuring accountability, transparency, and safety for those raising concerns;
- proactively engage with communities to assess, address and mitigate significant impacts;
- respect the legal and customary rights of Indigenous and tribal peoples and local communities and demonstrate their right to use land and water; and
- when possible, source goods, services, and employment from Indigenous and tribal peoples and local communities.
The ASC Feed Standard has very similar requirements.
Our work on these issues does not stop there and we are constantly working to further develop our standards, build tools and capacities of farms, feed mills, auditors and communities, and influence others to do the same.
Supporting communities to understand their rights
We aim to help people living near aquaculture farms and feed mills understand what ASC certification means for them.
We are developing clear, non-technical resources to explain what we expect farms and feed mills to do to protect local environments and engage openly and respectfully with communities and Indigenous peoples.
By making this information clear and accessible on our webpage, we aim to empower communities to take part in dialogue, raise concerns when needed, and play an active role in shaping how aquaculture operates in their area.
Towards Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
We are actively exploring how to embed Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) into the ASC Farm Standard. FPIC is a globally recognised principle based on United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and ILO Convention 169.
In this project, we are collaborating with our partners Consensus Building Institute and the Indigenous company Ngülamtun SpA. to co-design appropriate and respectful FPIC approaches that are also implementable and auditable. As a component of that, and with a grant from the ISEAL Innovations Fund, we are now testing out an approach in Chile where community data should inform better auditing of community impacts and engagement processes.
Community-led environmental monitoring in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, we have launched a pioneering project, “Changing power dynamics through community-based environmental monitoring”, also with support of the ISEAL Innovations Fund.
Running from August 2024 to August 2026, we are partnering with the Sri Lankan NGO Organisation of People for Engagement and Enterprise (OPEnE) and the University of Amsterdam to empower communities affected by aquaculture. Through co-design dialogues with local communities and industry, the project is developing practical tools enabling communities to monitor environmental impacts and advocate for their rights.
Ongoing commitment to communities
Across these efforts, we are committed to creating practical tools and guidelines for respectful engagement, FPIC, grievance processes, and community-led environmental monitoring.
We also help build capacity by giving communities, auditors, and industry the knowledge and skills they need to protect rights and drive positive change, and by fostering strong partnerships across different types of organisations.
More information:
- Get in touch with Froukje Kruijssen
Part of this work was made possible thanks to grants from the ISEAL Innovations Fund, which is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and UK International Development from the UK government.
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