Aquaculture Stewardship Council Leads the Way in Aquatic Animal Welfare: Top Ranking in 2024 Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark

Aquatic Life Institute recently released the 3rd edition of its Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark, a tool designed to evaluate and compare the animal welfare standards of leading global seafood certification programs. This year, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) was top-rated in the Benchmark, with a score of 8 out of 10. 

ASC, which was rated based on the draft of their upcoming farm standard, received full points awarded for water quality, space requirements and stocking density, and stunning and slaughter, all of which are critical components of ensuring aquatic animal health and welfare. ASC also released a statement that they are not considering the certification of any farmed octopus products for the foreseeable future. They join Soil Association, RSPCA, and Friend of the Sea, who have also taken a stance against the practice.

We interviewed Maria Filipa Castanheira, Fish Health and Welfare Standards Manager at ASC, to learn about the process that led to ASC’s top ranking in this year’s Benchmark. We applaud ASC on their progress in aquatic animal welfare standards and hope that their prioritization of welfare policies inspires other certifiers and ranking schemes worldwide.

Why does ASC prioritize aquatic animal welfare? Why is it important to the organization?

Animal welfare – including farmed aquatic animal welfare – is increasingly considered a key factor in defining ‘responsible’ production and determining the social acceptability of an animal production system.

At ASC, we believe fish are sentient beings, capable of experiencing pain and stress, making their welfare a key factor in responsible fish farming.  ASC is therefore committed to expanding the current indicators on fish welfare and health in the new ASC Farm Standard.  The ASC Farm Standard puts fish welfare at the forefront by introducing a dedicated principle on Animal Health and Welfare which includes requirements for daily operations at the farm, handling, and slaughter practices.

Can you share some key initiatives or changes that ASC implemented that helped you achieve the top ranking?

The principle on Animal Health and Welfare in the new ASC Farm Standard will include new criteria on health and welfare related to the daily operations at the farm, handling, and slaughter requirements. 

The Health and Welfare Principle will, in its first version, apply to all ASC certified species.  The criteria will be organised around nine main topics: biosecurity; water quality; morphological indicators; behavioural indicators; feeding; handling; transport; slaughter; and use of therapeutants.  

These nine topics will be developed in detail and although numerical limits will be set in a small number of cases clear guidance and procedures will be provided. This will provide clear indications on how the topics above can be used to monitor and assess welfare, as well as to establish mitigation measures in case of any concerns. The Standard will also establish best practices for procedures such as handling, transport or slaughter. 

What were the most significant challenges you faced in improving your welfare standards, and how did you overcome them? 

One of the most significant challenges in improving welfare standards was balancing the scientific understanding of animal welfare with practical implementation on farms. Ensuring that welfare indicators could be consistently applied across diverse farming systems and species required extensive research and consultation with industry stakeholders.

Another challenge was managing the potential resistance from producers, as implementing new welfare standards often involves changes to operational practices and investments in infrastructure, such as more humane handling and slaughter methods. Overcoming this requires clear communication about the benefits of these changes for animal welfare, farm productivity, and long-term market access.

What role do you see your organization playing in shaping the future of aquatic animal welfare within the broader sustainable food movement?

ASC is leading the transformation of the farmed seafood industry not just in terms of environmental sustainability but also social responsibility. We believe that these focused, clear requirements on animal health and welfare will support farmers to transparently demonstrate their responsible practices to their supply chain and to consumers. The welfare indicators and slaughter and stunning requirements in particular will contribute to lower animal stress levels and better welfare, which will ultimately contribute to better product quality, higher survival rates and reduced expenditure on disease prevention. These welfare indicators increasingly determine the social responsibility of a production system and bring a holistic approach to managing health and animal welfare.

How do you engage with consumers to raise awareness of the importance of aquatic animal welfare, and do you think consumer demand is shifting towards higher welfare products?

In developed markets such as North America and Europe, there is a growing interest in animal welfare and sustainable practices. More consumers are beginning to ask questions about how their food is produced and there is increasing awareness about humane treatment of farmed animals. In contrast, in many developing countries, consumer awareness on animal welfare is generally lower, with people more concerned with price and availability. 

Certifications like the ASC label on packaging help increase consumer awareness about environmental and social responsibility in seafood farming. Around the world, ASC is working alongside farmers, retailers and other organisations to promote responsible seafood farming. At the consumer level, we organise tasting events, educational trips and activities that engage seafood lovers in the importance of responsibly produced seafood. 

We are very active on our consumer-facing social media platforms, sharing how our standards drive improvement in seafood farming and encouraging consumers to look for the ASC label on packaging so they can be assured they are purchasing seafood produced in a responsible manner.

Can you share any success stories or anecdotes from producers or facilities that have improved their practices due to ASC's certification standards?

We invite you to take a look at our Farmers’ stories which highlight best environmental and social practices on farms and what makes them proud of the work they do.

As part of your continuous improvement process, how do external assessments and feedback from ALI shape your approach to welfare standards? Could you share any recent changes or successes that were informed by this kind of input?

ASC welcomes feedback on our Standards. We have conducted a robust stakeholder consultation on our new Farm Standard and all feedback is taken into account in the development and ongoing improvement of our standards.

Do you have plans for how ASC will demonstrate improvement for next year's benchmark?

Once the new Farm Standard is in place, we may have examples that we can share, however it is too early to say at this stage.