Who/What is ASC?
Aquaculture, or aquafarming, refers to the collecting or producing aquatic species such as fish, mollusks, and aquatic plants for consumption or sale.
“The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is a global nonprofit organization setting the world’s strictest standards for responsible seafood farming, also known as aquaculture,” Davis shared. “ASC has been creating and enforcing these standards since 2010 – ensuring verification at the farm level, supply chain integrity from farm to store, public transparency, and protection of the environment, workers, and farming communities worldwide.”
According to Davis, Aquaculture constitutes more than half of seafood consumption, but to ensure the seafood you purchase is safe and ethically sourced, check for ASC’s sea green branding. To receive that special sea green sticker, each seafood farm undergoes review and receives a grade on a pass/fail system that determines the safety of the aquaculture habitat. Each seafood farm needs to achieve a certain level of environmentally and socially friendly and responsible to attain certification.