A U.K. oyster company has become the first oyster farm in the world to earn the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)’s standard for responsible bivalve aquaculture.
The Jersey Oyster Co. has been producing Pacific oysters for more than 40 years. The ASC said in a statement that two more Jersey-based oyster farms are also on track to get the certification.
“I am delighted to welcome Jersey Oyster Company to the ranks of ASC certified farms. Now I very much look forward to the first ASC certified oysters entering the market in the near future,” said Chris Ninnes, ASC’s CEO.
The ASC noted Jersey Oyster’s farm uses seed from onshore hatcheries and uses the natural filtering effect of daily tides to support it.
“Oyster farming has benefits for the environment, including creating an ecosystem for other marine life and improving ocean water quality by the bivalve filtering process,” said Chris Le Masurier, Jersey Oyster’s managing director. “Waste shell from the farm is crushed and used on the land as a valuable soil conditioner.”
Certified oysters from the farm, along with products from five Aquapesca scallop farms in Peru which are also certified under the bivalve standard, are expected to hit the markets soon.
