The ASC's mission is to transform aquaculture towards environmental and social sustainability using efficient market mechanisms which create value across the chain.

Sustainable aquaculture

Certification

The ASC will offer standards for aquaculture and for the seafood chain of custody. The standards are being developed by the Aquaculture Dialogues in compliance with the guidelines for standard setting established by the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL). The certification according to these standards will be in the hands of independent, third-party, accredited certifiers. The ASC standards meet the world's toughest best practice criteria and are helping to transform global seafood markets. Our standards seek to increase the availability of certified sustainable seafood. The ASC will launch a credible consumer label that assures compliance and will make it easy for everyone to take part.

The ASC certification programme meets the following additional criteria:

Credible: Metrics-based, science-based standards created by a broad and diverse group of stakeholders through an open and transparent process that is approved by ISEAL addressing key impacts related to the environment, society and economy.
Effective: The standards are designed to promote change on the water: their objective is to minimise the environmental and social footprint of commercial aquaculture by addressing key impacts. Continuous improvement on the farm is encouraged. Governments are encouraged to focus on the same key impacts through strategic policies and regulations. With science and insights developing, so will the standards. Once every three to five years - or sooner if warranted - standards will be updated to be compliant with state-of-the-art science, developments in techniques and management practices.
Added value: Without profit the market will not change. This consumer label will enable the market to recognise and reward sustainable production of farmed fish and thus create a pull through.

Certification bodies

For the certification of aquaculture operations and the seafood chain of custody, the ASC will engage with independent third-party accreditation and certification bodies. This part of the ASC's assignments which will include training of the certification bodies will be operational by mid 2011.
However, some Aquaculture Dialogues standards will be finalised earlier. The Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue standards have been finalised in December 2009 and the standards for pangasius are expected to be finalised in May 2010.

Pre-ASC certification assessments

That is why WWF has set criteria for pre-ASC certification assessments. Prior to the ASC becoming fully operational in 2011, the Dialogue standard certification process will be handled by entities that meet several criteria, including but not limited to:

Inspections should be conducted by independent and officially accredited third-party bodies according to ISO/IEC Norm 17020:1998, and be accredited International Accreditation Forum (IAF) members;
Certification of products/operations should be conducted by independent third-party and officially accredited certification bodies according to ISO Guide/EN 45011:1998;
Inspections should be conducted on a regular basis (annually, at a minimum); and
The organisation should have a credible programme in place to train accredited auditors with the guidance documents developed for the Aquaculture Dialogue standards.

WWF/GLOBALGAP Memorandum of Understanding

The first entity to meet the above criteria is GLOBALGAP (GG), a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe. That is why WWF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GLOBALGAP. GG's accredited certification bodies are authorised by GG to audit farms that adopt the Aquaculture Dialogue standards. Farms that are in compliance with the standards will receive a certificate of interim compliance from GG.
The Dialogue standards will be added on, in their entirety, to the GLOBALGAP standards (instead of replacing the GG standards).
WWF will work with GG to create guidance documents, check lists and training materials for the people who will be auditing the farms that want to be certified against the Aquaculture Dialogue standards. The first set of documents (for tilapia) will be completed in April and GG will be able to begin auditing tilapia farmers in the second quarter of 2010.

The partnership between WWF and GG provides the opportunity to 'leverage' synergies and improve efficiency in the certification process. It will not enable products from GG certified farms to be ASC labeled. It is not an exclusive arrangement and both parties may develop alternative partnerships or ways to bring certified products to the market in future.

Once the ASC has become formally established (or once the ASC has become fully operational) the ASC's Supervisory Board will assess whether and how to continue the partnership(s) with interim certifiers.

More information on certification will be published on this website as soon as it becomes available.

For specific information please contact Philip Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the ASC
philip.smith@ascworldwide.org