Document type : Article published in World Fishing & Aquaculture
Author: World Fishing & Aquaculture
Preview: The Aquaculture Stewardship Council is consulting the public on new requirements to improve the welfare of farmed fish that take advantage of new developments and research concerning issues including water quality, stocking density and slaughter.
This consultation is the first phase of ASC's wide-ranging fish welfare project. A second phase will follow for public consultation at a later date following further research and development, that will bring in other species and address further welfare issues.
Public consultation is now open and will allow anyone with an interest or expertise to provide feedback on the proposed additions to ASC standards. ASC is particularly targeting producers, experts from animal welfare NGOs and charities, scientists and researchers, and auditors.
ASC is also consulting the public on important documents that will accompany the recently published ASC Feed Standard. This standard will provide unprecedented assurances to consumers that the feed used on ASC certified farms is responsibly sourced - whether it includes marine or land-based ingredients.
Both consultations will run for sixty days from 1st September.
All ASC standard revisions are based on rigorous scientific evidence and research. The Technical Working Group for fish welfare, made up of scientists, NGOs, producers and retailers, has been studying and commissioning research to inform the new requirements. […]
ASC's farm standards have the same assurance documents, and the draft RUoC and CAR for the Feed Standard have been produced with the same structure, and wherever possible contain the same requirements, only diverging where necessary. This ensures consistency and helps Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) that audit against standards, and other stakeholders working with multiple ASC standards.
