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Our ASC standards
Our ASC standards set strict requirements for responsible seafood farming that encourage producers to farm with care for fish, the environment and the people on and around the farm.
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Our standards are based on best practices and sound science. The measurable, metric- and performance-based standards apply globally to farming systems covering a range of locations, types and scales of operations. They were developed by more than 2,000 aquaculture experts who came together in a series of multi-stakeholder round-tables, so called Aquaculture Dialogues.
Our standards
See the ASC certifiable species database
The ASC standards focus on both the environmental and social impact of farming
Environmentally
Farms must prove their care for the environment by meeting strong requirements that reduce their impact on their surroundings. They are also responsible for carefully managing the health of their fish, including everything they consume – ranging from the feed they eat to the medicines they may be given.
Socially
Farms need to provide safe working conditions and take care of their employees – and they must show this same care for their surrounding neighbours and communities.
Learn more about our standards
ASC Aligned Farm Standard
The aligned Farm Standard will cover all impact areas in one rigorous standard, and will include species-specific requirements where relevant. Alignment will also allow ASC to more efficiently expand its reach (e.g. adding production systems or new species) and will facilitate the swifter update of specific metrics.
Credibility of ASC standards
To ensure a credible, inclusive and transparent standard setting process the standards were developed in line with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines and ISEAL’s Codes of Good Practice. Find out more about how we develop standards on our Programme Improvements page.
For all inquiries and feedback on any of the ASC standards or to request a hard copy of public summaries, standards or other related materials, please contact the Standards and Science Team at standards@asc-aqua.org.
Variance Request and Interpretation platform
Variance Requests (VR’s) are requests to adapt an ASC standard requirement to a local context while continuing to adhere to the original intent of the requirement.
The Interpretation platform is a searchable database of all Variance Requests and Questions for Interpretation (QA’s) submitted to the ASC. Variance Requests are publicly available to improve consistency in understanding and application of ASC standards and Certification Accreditation Requirements (CAR).
Request a species
You can help us with this by telling us which species you think ASC should consider certifying in the future. If you have a particular species in mind please use the link below.
Archive of ASC Standards documents
You can find here older versions of ASC Standards and the available translation in different languages (please note that previous versions are only for reference purposes).
