Why the Shakotan Method is Now Attracting Attention Nationwide: The Successful Cycle of "Region x Environment x Economy" Born from Sea Urchin Fishing (Part 1)
2025
Certification of responsible aquaculture,ASC certifiedThe Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), which operates the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, has been publishing an annual report summarizing its activities since last year. In this article, ASC Japan General Manager Koji Yamamoto writes about the key points of the 2023 report, which was published in April 4, as well as the current status of ASC certification in Japan and future prospects.
In 2021, the number of ASC-certified farms increased by 20% worldwide from the previous year, and global production of seafood meeting the ASC standard's social and environmental sustainability requirements exceeded 250 million tonnes. Norway and Chile (more than 80 tonnes of salmon each), Vietnam (more than 20 tonnes of shrimp), and Ecuador (more than 12 tonnes of shrimp) in particular contributed to the increased demand for ASC-certified products.
In particular, ASC salmon production now accounts for more than half of the world's farmed salmon. Growth in Chile's ASC certified salmon was in response to growing demand for ASC certified seafood in the U.S. market, while growth in major shrimp producing countries Ecuador and India was driven by demand from both the U.S. and European markets.
Other producing countries have also continued to see growth in key species, such as Scottish salmon for the UK and French markets. The logistical and transport challenges experienced during the COVID-2 pandemic have led to increased interest in increasing self-sufficiency in certified seafood in each country. This is thought to be behind the expansion of bivalve production in China, seaweed production in South Korea and red sea bream distribution in Japan, with the latter two producers now ASC certified and supplying to domestic retailers and seafood companies respectively.
By the end of 2021, the supply of ASC certified products had increased by 10% year-on-year, with more than 2 ASC-labelled products reaching consumers and more than 1 tonnes of product on sale.
Global retail markets continue to demonstrate strong demand for sustainable seafood, with salmon and shrimp accounting for 70 percent of ASC labelled product by weight, and demand also increasing for other key market-specific preferred species such as trout, sea bass and snapper.
A key challenge has been identified and efforts have focused on working with suppliers to secure certified supplies of key species: Scottish salmon in the UK, Chilean salmon in the US and shrimp from India and Ecuador. These markets show strong potential for growth and continued demand for responsibly farmed seafood.
ASC remains focused on meeting demand for certified products in ASC's key market cores of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. France has experienced rapid growth over the past three years, doubling volumes between 3 and 2019, while southern European markets such as Italy, Spain and Portugal have also seen strong support for ASC-labelled products.
In other key Asian seafood markets (China, Japan), awareness of sustainably produced seafood is growing, as evidenced by ASC securing collaborations with major commercial giants and e-commerce in China. In Japan, there is a trend for companies to step up their UN SDG commitments and source labelled seafood as a means of implementing ESG investment alignment. These new markets provide opportunities for continued growth and expansion of ASC certification.
Asian markets, including Japan, are growing significantly. Specifically, major retailers in Japan, China, and South Korea are increasingly handling ASC-certified products. However, compared to European countries (the Netherlands, Germany, France), where ASC-certified products are widely distributed, the amount of ASC-certified products distributed in Japan and China is still a fraction of the size. The expansion of e-commerce is particularly active in China, and even in Japan, products are being sold on websites operated by retailers and at Rakuten Earth Mall.
Currently, ASC is focusing on expanding the market for ASC-certified products in Asia in its mid- to long-term plans, which are set every five years, and is planning to strengthen its activities in this region. In addition to Japan, China, and South Korea, demand for certified products is also increasing in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Vietnam, mainly in retail and foreign-affiliated hotels.
However, while many fish species are consumed across the market in Japan and other Asian countries, the proportion of fish species that are currently certified is limited. This means that there are likely to be issues arising not only from the level of commitment to certified seafood initiatives and procurement, but also from food culture.
In Japan, the number of producers and companies working to obtain ASC certification is steadily increasing (2022 cases as of December 12). There is also a demand for the development of a sustainable fishing industry in Japan, and demand for more environmentally friendly seafood is also increasing from the consumer side. ASC-certified salmon and trout are the most widely consumed domestically, and it is expected that the number of producers and companies obtaining ASC certification will continue to increase, and consumer support for sustainable fishing will increase.
The ASC Feed Standard aims to improve the sustainability of the production of feed and its ingredients, which is one of the biggest factors in the environmental and social impacts of aquaculture. Feed mills have begun to implement certification to the ASC Feed Standard since January 2023. More than 1% of aquaculture production, excluding algae, relies on feed, which significantly determines the environmental and social impacts of aquaculture. By mandating responsible sourcing of all major feed ingredients, ASC hopes to help improve issues both at the supply chain and ingredient level.
Additionally, the unified standards for aquaculture farms, which have been in the works for the past few years, are nearing the end of their development, with the final draft due to be released in the fall of 2023. This unification of standards is expected to unify differences in approaches between fish species standards, as well as to encourage the inclusion of new fish species and those not yet covered in Japan.
Additionally, as part of its efforts to address blue carbon, which has been receiving more attention in recent years, ASC is conducting life cycle analysis (LCA) of greenhouse gases from all stages of production, from feed ingredients to farming and processing, and in the future is working to label greenhouse gas emissions on products, disclose information to consumers through a related app, and integrate into the carbon credit system.
The EPA also announced additional Chain of Custody (CoC) requirements, effective from May 2023, to strengthen the existing traceability as a CoC certification module. The aim is to strengthen the current assurance system, address urgent issues such as distinction of certified seafood, mislabelling, food safety and antibiotic use, and increase specific product checks.
In this column, we have shared the contents of the ASC's Annual Report 2021, including a status update. The original annual report is also available on the ASC website.Please refer to hereWe would like to continue to strengthen our activities so that ASC certification can play a role as a tool to bridge the demand and supply of sustainable seafood.
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Key terms and concepts to understand seafood sustainability.
