The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has converted its shrimp, tilapia, and tropical marine finfish standards – and other guidance documents – into the Indonesian language to drive more local farmers towards implementing responsible practices, ASC said in a statement on 24 July.
Indonesia is the second-largest producer of farmed fish in the world, with tilapia and shrimp being major species. ASC considers it as an important country to push for sustainable aquaculture practices.
Along with the translation of the full standards, other documents – including audit manuals and certification requirements for a single site and group certification – have also been translated into the local language, which will be followed by training courses.
“ASC is a global program but key to our success is engaging with local producers and making the certification process as smooth as possible. These translations make the ASC program more accessible, giving more farmers the opportunity to demonstrate they are operating in a responsible way, and if so, enjoy the benefits of ASC certification,” ASC Outreach Manager for Indonesia Mohammad Budi Santosa said in the statement.
Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries’ Director General of Aquaculture Slamet Soebjakto also expressed his desire to assist local farmers with sustainable practices.
“It is expected that these translations will help Indonesian farmers become more familiar with the ASC standards or environmental and social responsibility, which will benefit not only the farmers themselves, but also everyone who uses and enjoys our oceans, rivers and lakes,” Soebjakto said.
The translation of the standards is part of a two-year, USD 500,000 (EUR 426,000) project run by ASC and FairTrade USA, and funded by The Walton Foundation, with the aim to support Indonesia’s aquaculture sector.
ASC said it will cooperate with the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and other relevant partners to carry out a Training of Trainers (ToT) program in the country, which is expected to help introduce the ASC certification to more aquaculture farmers in the country.
Before Indonesia, ASC had in 2018 worked on a similar project to translate the ASC shrimp and pangasius standards into Vietnamese language, it said.
Photo courtesy of arifin_bp/Shutterstock
