After nearly 7,000 verified changes recorded at certified farms last year, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has asserted that its accreditation is driving measurable improvements in global fish-farming practices, with fish health and management, worker health and safety, waste management, and escapes among the areas generating the greatest advancements.
The newly published “ASC Impact Report 2025” confirmed that around 65 percent of the 6,995 recorded improvements made at certified farms last year were environmental. The majority of the additional improvements were deemed to be social.
Almost 30 percent of the environmental improvements were attributed to positive changes in animal health and welfare, according to ASC Director of Impacts, Monitoring, and Evaluation Jill Swasey.
Swasey told SeafoodSource these ranged from policy changes and practices to the physical management of fish in production, including handling techniques intended to reduce stress.
However, with the total number of farms securing ASC certification growing by 12 percent over the previous year, she conceded that year-over-year comparisons are difficult to make.
“The top areas of improvements – fish health and management, worker health and safety, waste management, wildlife and escapes, and worker well-being – have not changed between the years. We do, however, see that farms adhere more to the requirements over time, requiring less action and demonstrating that ASC certification maintains the improvements measured,” she said.
According to ASC, a “defining milestone” in 2025, which also marked the 15th year in operation for the council, was the launch of its ASC Farm Standard, with the purpose of bringing requirements covering farm management, environmental performance, human rights, and animal health and welfare into a single framework spanning species and production systems.
Swasey said this new standard should provide the organization with more aligned evidence applicable across all species, production systems, and regions within the ASC’s scope, allowing it to draw more meaningful conclusions about the impact of certification.
Bakkafrost recently became the world’s first salmon-farming firm to secure certification under the new standard, and it will become mandatory for all farms on 1 May 2028.
"The Farm Standard provides improved requirements across environmental impacts and benefits to animal health and welfare and workers' rights; all will be equally important as we measure the impact of the ASC program," Swasey said.
Another major change that Swasey highlighted is taking place further up the supply chain, with ASC-certified farms required to use ASC-conforming feed since 31 October 2025, linking farm certification more closely to certified feed mills and the sourcing of feed ingredients.
ASC had 91 certified feed mill sites across 27 countries by the end of 2025, with the Impact Report explaining that the aim is to provide greater visibility into the origins and impacts of feed ingredients while requiring measurable progress in marine ingredient sourcing.
Swasey said ASC expects to be able to link improvements made by certified feed mills with improvements at certified farms, particularly through changes in ingredient sourcing and the sustainability of marine ingredients used in ASC-conforming feed.
"Further, we know that feed represents the large majority of emissions in the production of fed aquaculture, and our greenhouse gas (GHG) emission requirements will provide further transparency and insights into the sources of emissions to drive deeper change," she said.
The report confirmed this wider supply chain approach, noting that ASC-certified feed mills are increasing GHG transparency, while its feed requirements are designed to provide greater visibility into the fisheries supplying the aquafeed industry and drive improvement in marine ingredient sourcing.
According to the analysis, the ASC program covered 2,543 certified farm sites in 51 countries in 2025, covering more than 200,000 hectares that produced more than 2.9 million metric tons (MT) of certified seafood, marking an increase of 9 percent year over year. Over 30,000 ASC-labeled products were made available to end consumers in 120 countries last year.
It also advised that the council conducted 1,454 farm audits last year, with Independent Conformity Assessment Bodies assessing farms against ASC requirements. Twenty-eight certificates were suspended following unaddressed non-conformities.
Beyond certification, ASC’s Improver Program saw 21 farm sites across five countries active in aquaculture improvement projects (APIs) by the end of 2025, while two successfully completed projects achieved ASC certification.
