
ASC Leadership in Shaping Future for Responsible Aquaculture Celebrated at Seafood Expo Global 2025
May 15, 2025
Barcelona, Spain – Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) marked a defining moment for responsible aquaculture at this year’s Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain with the successful launch of its new ASC Farm Standard. The event served as a powerful platform to spotlight the industry’s growing momentum towards transformation to greater environmental and social responsibility.
From packed panel discussions to powerful partner announcements, ASC’s presence at the Seafood Expo Global reinforced its leadership in shaping the future of farmed seafood certification.
A Unified Vision: The ASC Farm Standard Launch
The headline moment of ASC participation was the official launch of the ASC Farm Standard, an integrated framework that consolidates and strengthens all 12 existing species standards under a single umbrella. The new standard sets a global benchmark for environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture, offering increased clarity, efficiency, and consistency across species and regions.
Representatives from across the supply chain joined the launch to hear how the Farm Standard will impact producers, retailers, and consumers—and drive meaningful change across the value chain. Over 200 participants joined the long-awaited launch, which included support from industry guest speakers.
“The ASC Farm Standard is the culmination of years of collaboration, research, and listening to our stakeholders,” said ASC CEO Chris Ninnes. “Its introduction at the world’s leading seafood trade show reflects not only its importance, but also the strong support we’ve seen across the seafood farming industry.”
Certification Milestone: Stolt Sea Farm Achieves 100% ASC Certification
Supporting the momentum of the Farm Standard launch, Stolt Sea Farm announced that it has achieved full ASC certification across its turbot farms, becoming the only farmed turbot producer in the world to meet ASC rigorous environmental and social criteria for all its farms.
This achievement reflects Stolt Sea Farm’s commitment to continuous improvement and sustainable operations.
Jordi Trias, President of Stolt Sea Farm, added, “This is a truly proud moment for all of us at Stolt Sea Farm, and a step forward in our commitment to ensuring the best experience to our customers. I want to extend my gratitude to the Stolt Sea Farm team who have made this possible. It requires perseverance, commitment to quality and animal welfare, and teamwork, and these are all characteristics of the way we live our purpose.”
Shared Partnerships and Collaborations
In another highlight, ASC joined Labeyrie Fine Foods and Omarsa to unveil a groundbreaking partnership aimed at restoring Ecuador’s vital mangrove ecosystems. This initiative focuses on restoring biodiversity, strengthening community livelihoods, and reinforcing responsible shrimp farming practices in one of the world’s most important coastal ecosystems.
The collaboration exemplifies ASC’s holistic approach to sustainability—extending beyond certification to include ecosystem restoration, local engagement, and long-term resilience.
Ninnes also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India-based AquaExchange, a technology firm using digital tools to bring transparency and efficiencies in the entire seafood farming value chain.
AquaExchange CEO Pavan Krishna Kosaraju said, “Through this partnership with ASC, we are looking at a new paradigm where we harness digital tools to help small farm holders achieve certification. We want to scale our unique reinforcement framework, wherein farmers are immediately incentivised for sustainable practices through reduced input costs and higher offtake prices.”
Panel: ‘The Future of Aquaculture is Now’
ASC leadership also contributed to forward-looking discussions at SEG 2025. ASC CEO Chris Ninnes joined Jim Cannon, CEO of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, on an expert panel titled ‘The Future of Aquaculture is Now: Seafood Sustainability and Stewardship Legends Share their Visions, Predictions, and a New Roadmap for the Sector’. Moderated by ASC Commercial Director, Europe & APAC Barbara Janker, this interactive session explored emerging trends in aquaculture including a recent collaboration building a model for landscape-level improvements in aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Aisla Jones, ASC Feed Engagement & UK Markets Manager also joined a session led by Donau Soy, ‘Implementing the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Supply Chains in Aquafeed’. The session explored responsible sourcing of plant ingredients and how the EUDR requirements relate to aquaculture supply chains and what steps companies are taking to achieve compliance. The discussion also highlighted how standards and certification can be used as a tool in supporting EUDR and Deforestation/Conversion Free reporting and disclosure requirements.
Setting the Stage for the Future
The buzz around the ASC booth and events at Seafood Expo Global 2025 underscored the growing importance of credible, comprehensive sustainability frameworks in aquaculture.
Ninnes concluded, “Collaboration has always been at the heart of the ASC mission. Whether it’s developing a more holistic Farm Standard or partnering with retailers and producers and other organisations, none of this progress happens in isolation. It’s only by bringing together all parts of the value chain that we can drive real, lasting change. What we’ve seen at Seafood Expo Global this year is a clear sign that the seafood sector is ready to work together—and that gives me great hope for the future of responsible seafood farming.”
Learn more