The Future of Aquaculture: Changing Feed | ASC 2024 Annual Report

As global demand for seafood expands, aquaculture has already become a major means of production that supports our food needs. However, the environmental burden and social impacts that arise during the process of aquaculture have not necessarily been adequately organized or shared. As production volume expands, how to improve the "quality" of aquaculture has become an important question for the entire industry.

ASCThe Aquaculture Stewardship Council's 2024 Annual Report, which addresses these challenges, summarizes the structural changes surrounding aquaculture and the efforts that have been made within them. This year's report focuses in particular on the supply chain that extends beyond the aquaculture farm, particularly on feed, and outlines past efforts and future directions for how to spread responsible aquaculture products throughout society.

2024 is a year of focusing on feed

"Feed" is an essential theme in understanding ASC's initiatives for 2024. It has been pointed out that much of the environmental burden and social impact of aquaculture stems not only from the aquaculture farms themselves, but also from upstream processes such as feed production and procurement. This is because the impact on marine resources, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and human rights risks are greatly influenced by the procurement and management methods of the raw materials fishmeal, fish oil, and plant-based ingredients.

The perspective of viewing aquaculture not as a single production process, but as the entire supply chain from raw material production to processing, transportation and use, has not been shared sufficiently until now. The fact that feed was given such prominence in 2024 indicates that a movement to reconsider aquaculture more structurally and shed light on processes that were previously difficult to see has begun in earnest.

The ASC has designated 2024 as the "Year of Feed" and has begun full-scale implementation of its feed standards. This marks a major turning point, calling for responsible behavior not only from aquaculture farms but also from the supply chain that extends beyond them. It is important for feed mills to review their raw material suppliers and management systems, and to identify and mitigate risks in order to improve the sustainability of aquaculture as a whole.

A distinctive feature of the ASC feed standard is that it does not target only specific ingredients, but requires due diligence on all ingredients. It requires a system to identify, manage, and improve risks such as deforestation, land conversion, forced labor, and child labor, not only for marine ingredients such as fishmeal and fish oil, but also for plant-based ingredients such as soybeans and grains. This clarifies the background of feed ingredients, which has previously only been understood piecemeal, and leads to increased transparency throughout the supply chain.

Furthermore, 2024 saw important progress in visualizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with feed. ASC developed a dedicated tool, the GHG Feed Calculator, which serves as a foundation for ASC-certified feed mills to understand their own emissions sources and consider ways to improve them. This allows them to measure and report emissions from raw material production to processing and transportation, and set specific reduction targets.

Certification is not a goal, but a mechanism for accumulating improvements

ASC's annual report repeatedly emphasizes the idea that "certification is a means, not an end." Rather than simply meeting the standards, ASC places emphasis on the continuous improvement that follows.

The conditions surrounding aquaculture are constantly changing due to changes in environmental regulations, market trends, raw material procurement situations, etc. Therefore, rather than simply maintaining the state at the time of certification, ASC places emphasis on a system of accumulating improvements through a repeated process of collecting data, identifying issues, correcting, and reconfirming.

In 2024, the number of ASC-certified aquaculture farms steadily increased, and many improvements were reported in both environmental and social areas. These improvements cover a wide range of areas, including fish health management and disease prevention, more efficient resource use, consideration for biodiversity, improved occupational safety and health, and collaboration with local communities. The accumulation of each of these improvements is raising the quality of the aquaculture industry as a whole.

Consideration of human rights and working conditions is also an important theme of the 2024 Annual Report. Many people around the world are involved in the aquaculture industry, so ensuring a safe and fair working environment is essential. Through its certification, ASC is working to prevent forced labor and child labor and respect workers' rights, and many corrective measures and improvements were implemented in 2024.

Sustainable seafood connecting markets and consumers

ASC efforts do not end at the production site. By 2024, the number of brands and retailers handling ASC-certified seafood will increase, and ASC-labeled products will be distributed around the world. This shows that responsibly farmed seafood is no longer limited to certain markets or certain consumers, but is becoming a more widespread option.

The ASC label is a mark that consumers use when choosing seafood. Its reliability is supported by an independent third-party inspection and a highly transparent certification system. ASC certification also plays an important role for companies and retailers. When explaining the philosophy behind seafood production, having a common framework is of great importance in terms of fulfilling accountability. Handling ASC-certified seafood provides consumers with choice, rather than presenting a single correct answer.

Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit (TSSS) 2024ASC CEO Chris Ninnes (center) appeared on stage at the event.

Collaboration leads to change

The ASC's efforts are supported not only by its standards and certification system. The 2024 Annual Report positions collaboration as a key element in advancing change. It states that it is essential for a variety of stakeholders, including not only aquaculture farms and feed mills but also companies, research institutions, NGOs, and government agencies, to share a common understanding of the issues and work together to share roles in order to spread responsible aquaculture products.

The ASC continues to adjust its standards to improve their effectiveness and practicality based on feedback received through dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders. These repeated consultations are an important foundation for maintaining the certification system as a system that works on the ground, rather than as a set of unilateral rules.

New ASC farm standards in final stages of development

2024 was also a milestone year in which the ASC Farm Standard was finalized. As preparations progress for its implementation in 2025, the ASC is establishing a framework that connects feed, farms, processing, distribution, and consumer choice.

The ASC Aquaculture Standard has been restructured to consolidate 11 previous species-specific standards into a single, more rigorous and consistent framework. This has unified requirements and ensured consistent application, improving audit and operational efficiency. It also simplifies certification and accreditation requirements, providing greater assurance for farms of all sizes and strengthening trust and transparency throughout the supply chain.

2024 was the year that feed-based initiatives took shape and a more structural perspective on aquaculture began to be shared. This annual report introduces efforts to spread responsible aquaculture, as well as many data and case studies. For more information,ASC 2024 Annual ReportPlease see the main text.

◾️Summary of the 2023 Annual ReportCLICK HERE

article/ASC Japan　Marketing & Communications Manager: Naomi Kawata