The first Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)-certified scallops, farmed in Peru, will soon hit the market. AcuaPesca Group achieved ASC certification for five of its scallop farms this week.
“We have many customers globally who have been eager for us to achieve ASC certification,” said Carlos Goldin, President of AcuaPesca. “And, now our products carry the ASC label we have a powerful story to tell our customers. With growing pressure on the environment and our oceans, it becomes more important to help people recognize well-managed production through a robust certification program, which is what ASC does for us; by combining that recognition with a consumer-facing label it also provides a clear guarantee of provenance to the buyer.”
AcuaPesca aims to supply around 2,000 metric tons (MT) to customers across France, Italy, the United States, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and other markets.
“AcuaPesca Group should be very proud of their achievements,” said Chris Ninnes, ASC's CEO. “It is through their dedication and commitment to responsible aquaculture that they make a significant contribution to protecting our oceans and caring for the environment and community.
“Demand for responsibly certified seafood has continued to grow; we now have over 2000 approved products carrying the ASC logo. I look forward to more companies committing to responsible aquaculture now that ASC certified scallops will be available in the market."
AcuaPesca Group bivalve farms were the first to enter the ASC certification program; assessment took place in May 2014. The company was founded in 1989 in Casma, Peru, by Goldin. It now employs 2,400 long lines (suspended farming) to grow its shellfish. AquaPesca is building a third hatchery in Guaynuna beach that will increase its production to 2,500 MT of scallop meat for 2016 and 3,000 MT for 2017.
To meet the ASC Bivalve Standard criteria the group quantified the farms' impacts on the benthic environment and defined limits to the ecosystem's carrying capacity.
