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The Seriola and Cobia Standard
Seriola and cobia farmers face a number of issues in bringing their seafood to market. Through ASC certification, farmers evidence their contributions to responsible labour practices, disease management, and ecosystem conservation.
ASC sets the standards for environmentally and socially responsible seriola and cobia farming.
Certified farms actively minimise their impact on the surrounding natural environment.
Certified farms operate in a socially responsible manner, caring for their employees and working with the local community.
ASC certification gives farms clear guidelines to follow. The Seriola and Cobia Standard helps protect farms against these issues:
Biodiversity
ASC certified seriola / cobia farms minimise impacts on their neighbouring ecosystem in a number of ways, such as the development and implementation of a biodiversity-focused environmental impact assessment (B-EIA) and ensuring farms are not sited in High Conservation Value Areas (HCVA). Also, acoustic deterrent devices cannot be used on ASC certified seriola / cobia farms. Fish escapes must be minimised and a solid management plan must be implemented to ensure this.
Feed
ASC certification requires seriola / cobia farms to adhere to strict limits to minimise use of wild fish as ingredient for feed. In addition, the standard requires farms to ensure full traceability back to a responsibly managed source, preferably certified, both for wild fish and soy. 80% of soy and palm oil must be certified against an ISEAL member certification scheme from March 2024.
Pollution
PollutionASC certified seriola/cobia farms are required to measure turbidity and ammonia levels to preserve water quality. Benthic impacts are also required to be minimised.
Diseases
DiseasesASC certified seriola / cobia farms must adhere to rigorous requirements to minimise disease outbreaks. A Fish Health Management Plan must be developed under supervision of a veterinarian and implemented. This plan details all the steps for biosecurity management. In addition, the use of medicines before a disease is diagnosed (prophylactic use), is prohibited.
Human Rights
Human RightsASC certification includes robust requirements based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. These include prohibiting the use of child labour or any form of forced labour and requiring the right of freedom of association and collective bargaining. All ASC certified farms are safe and equitable working environments where employees earn a decent wage and have regulated working hours.
Standards documents
- Date of Publication
- October 2016