The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is adding Atlantic cod to its certification program in a move it said was directly requested following stakeholder consultations.
ASC said the species will be added to the certification program in Q4 2025 following a stakeholder consultation that ran from 20 May to 20 June 2025. The majority of the input on the consultation came from Norway – where most of the world’s fledgling cod-farming industry is located.
“The certification of Atlantic cod marks an important milestone for ASC, demonstrating our ability to respond quickly to market demand for new species,” ASC CEO Chris Ninnes said in a release.
ASC said cod will be integrated into the ASC Salmon Standard to provide farmers a pathway to bring ASC-certified cod to the market.
“Beyond Norway, cod certification could also attract interest from producers in Iceland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, the wider Nordics, and Canada, particularly given recent reductions in wild cod quotas,” ASC said.
Cod farming was first attempted in the early 2010s but did not take off immediately due to the cost of farming compared to the prices for cod. Since that time, shrinking cod quotas and continued demand for the species has driven an increase in prices, making cod farming viable.
Norwegian salmon farmer Norcod had its first commercial cod harvest in 2021, and Ode – now one of the largest Atlantic cod producers in the world – had its first harvest in November 2022.
Farmed cod has increasingly taken up market share in Norway’s fresh cod exports, and in H1 2025, fresh farmed cod exports from Norway increased 26 percent by volume and 47 percent by value year over year to NOK 433 million (USD 54 million, EUR 46 million).
“Demand for ASC-certified Atlantic cod is growing among both farmers and retailers,” Ninnes said. “Integrating cod into the ASC Farm Standard demonstrates the flexibility of the standard, ensuring it continues to evolve to meet the needs of producers, retailers, and consumers.”
Ode CEO Ola Kvalheim told SeafoodSource in 2024 that farmed cod would increasingly become important to the future supply of the species.
Ode Founder and Head of Business Development Tor Olav Seim said the company now welcomes “the inclusion of Atlantic cod in the ASC Certification Program.”
“This gives us a clear pathway to meet market demand for responsibly farmed cod and aligns our practices with global sustainability standards,” Seim said. “It’s an exciting opportunity to grow our business while promoting environmental responsibility and high welfare standards in cod farming.”
Kvalheim told SeafoodSource the certification of cod is a testament to how far the industry has developed in a short amount of time.
“It is a strong signal that cod farming is now recognized as an important and growing industry within the wider seafood space. It also acknowledges the significant work that has been done across the sector to ensure responsible and sustainable production,” he said. “We appreciate the work done by ASC to respond to the fast-growing farmed cod industry and look forward to working with them to ensure sustainable and responsible practices across the industry.”
