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

Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue

Bivalve Aquaculture Dialogue

Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue

Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue

Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue

Seriola and Cobia Aquaculture Dialogue

Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue

Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue

Aquaculture Dialogues

Metrics- and performance-based global aquaculture standards addressing twelve species are being developed by eight multi-stakeholder roundtables, collectively called the Aquaculture Dialogues.

This dialogue process began in 2004, is coordinated by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and includes more than 2,000 participants. All of the standards are being designed to minimise the key negative environmental and social impacts associated with aquaculture. For more information on the Aquaculture Dialogues (AD), go to: www.worldwildlife.org/aquadialogues, or click on one of the Aquaculture Dialogues listed in the left hand menu to access information on that specific Aquaculture Dialogue (AD).

The standards developing process is focused on the most significant environmental and social impacts of each species and how to minimise those impacts. This focus makes real change in aquaculture practices possible on farm level. In addition, the involvement of a wide range of both scientists, governments and NGOs in the Aquaculture Dialogues ensures that the standards are rigorous and robust enough to transform the industry.

Standards are not carved in stone, though. As science and technology develop, so do management practices and techniques, so once the Dialogue standards are finalised by the Dialogue Steering Committees, representing stakeholders, the ASC will be mandated coordinate periodic reviews and revisions which will lead to an update of the standards every three to five years, or sooner if warranted, to ensure they are aligned with current technology and trends. These revisions will be the task of the ASC Technical Steering Group which will be composed of members of the Steering Committees of each of the Aquaculture Dialogues, who helped create the original sets of standards. No Dialogue standards will be amended by the ASC without input from these Dialogue participants.

Jose Villalon, WWF-US Aquaculture Programme Director : ‘WWF recognised aquaculture's important stature in supplying healthy seafood to international markets and believe that our priority should be to make certain that it be done in an approach that respects the freshwater and coastal environment, and the people from those communities.'