ASC Farm Standard – Principle 2

The development and activities of aquaculture operations can disrupt ecosystems and reduce valuable ecological services across marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Maintenance of essential ecosystem functions and the free movement of organisms can be achieved through effective ecological buffer zones and protected areas. Through ASC requirements, the farm contributes to the conservation of essential ecosystem services and the habitats on which wildlife depend.

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Aquaculture operations may attract and interact with wildlife and rely on wild population for breeding or stock. In order to protect wildlife and the farmed animals, farms should minimise interaction, and both unintentional and intentional injury and mortalities. The ASC Farm Standard sets requirements for limits to wildlife mortalities, use of broodstock, identification and mitigation of the risks of interactions, and reporting on wildlife mortalities. 

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Non-native species are widely farmed outside their natural range. They can escape, become established, and impact native species and local ecosystems. The ASC Farm Standard only permits the farming of non-native species under specific conditions such as fully-closed recirculating aquaculture systems to mitigate the risks of non-native species entering local ecosystems. 

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Escapes from aquaculture can impact wild native populations in various ways. Loss of stock also has an economic impact on the producer. The ASC Standard requires that producers minimise escapes through good management and control measures. The proposed ASC Farm Standard also sets metric limits of allowable escapes over a set period of time. 

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Aquaculture operations might discharge effluents containing organic material such as faeces and uneaten feed into surrounding water bodies. When this discharge occurs at a rate that exceeds the capacity of the environment to process the additional inputs, changes in the chemical and physical composition of the sediment can occur, which in turn can negatively affect the (in)faunal benthic community. The ASC Standard requires farms to regularly monitor the level of seabed organic enrichment  of the area surrounding the farm in order to minimise benthic impacts. 

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Release of nutrients from aquaculture operations can contribute to accelerated eutrophication of receiving waters. The ASC Farm Standard aims to minimise the risk that nutrients and suspended solids negatively impact the quality of the receiving waterbody and its associated ecosystem structure and function. 

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Salinisation is the increase of salt concentrations in soil or freshwater systems, which can have negative effects on the environment with consequences extending to affect local communities. This criterion intends to ensure low risk of salinisation of soil and freshwater resources from farm activities by requiring mitigation measures, for example, non-plastic pond liners. 

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Biosolids contain organic wastes and sediment and accumulate in the farming system. Unregulated disposal can cause negative impacts on the environment. This Criterion intends to ensure appropriate handling of biosolids, including re-use where possible.

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Globally, freshwater is a limited resource and demand for it is increasing. The use of freshwater in aquaculture needs to be considered within the ecosystem context to ensure that use is not at a detriment to the natural environment. Farms should be aware of the volume of water they are using, and work towards increasing efficiency. 

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Food systems, especially animal production systems, account for a large portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. The climate impact of aquaculture production is driven by both feed use and on-farm energy use. ASC certified farms measure and track their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and seek ways to improve efficiency and reduce their climate impact. 

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The construction, operation, and decommissioning of aquaculture farms uses materials and generates waste. Material use and waste disposal, if not managed responsibly, can negatively impact human health, neighbouring communities, the environment, wildlife, and farmed aquatic organisms. For this reason, the ASC Farm Standard requires farms to prioritise re-use and recycling, reduce waste generation, and ensure responsible handling of hazardous materials and disposal of waste to prevent pollution. 

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Farmed fish are susceptible to diseases that have the potential to be amplified and transferred, thereby posing a risk to the health of fish and other marine organisms in adjacent ecosystems. One of the best ways to mitigate the risk of disease transfer to wild stocks is to reduce or eliminate disease outbreaks. The ASC Farm Standard seeks to ensure proactive health management on the farm through comprehensive health management plans including requirements for on-farm biosecurity, disease monitoring and veterinary oversight. 

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Effective antibiotics are critical in combatting disease, not only in fish and livestock, but also to ensure human health. For this reason, the ASC Farm Standard’s antibiotic requirements have been aligned with the One Health Approach for responsible use of antibiotics. This includes avoiding antibiotic use where possible, but if needed, applying effective antibiotics. The ASC Farm Standard also requires farms to reduce antibiotic use over time.

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Farming occurring upstream of certified sites has the potential to create negative environmental and social impacts. Hatchery or juvenile production will be required to adhere to the same environmental and social elements as farm sites.

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Farms often rely upon, or impact, shared resources, and are susceptible to regional diseases. Wider area management is challenging, but information sharing is a key principle to enable further action. The ASC Farm Standard requires farms to actively share relevant information with surrounding farms on disease occurrence.

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Transparency is key to ASC’s credibility. Data is also essential for impact monitoring, standard development, facilitate risk-based auditing and research. ASC aims to improve the quality, extent, and standardisation of reporting. Data will be submitted by the Farm site or the UoC through the webportal Chainpoint.​

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ASC is working to develop a Risk Management Framework (RMF) that will provide farms with clear and consistent elements needed to support the implementation of a risk-based approach to the requirements. The framework covers: Environmental impacts, Community impacts, Worker’s health and safety, and Child and forced labour.

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