Four farms in Turkey and Greece have become the first to be certified to the new Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard for sea bass, sea bream, and meagre.
In a statement, ASC said that two farms operated by Nireus in Greece and two operated by Sursan AS in Turkey achieved certification on 5 June. Nireus’s certified farms are located in the South of Evia Island, in Aliveri, and in Fokida in the Corinthian Gulf, while Sursan’s are in Bodrum, in the southwestern Aegean region of the country. All four produce both seabass and seabream.
The audits and certification for the four farms were carried out by independent assessment body Acoura.
"Nireus is very proud to be a pioneer in the responsible growth of aquaculture, according to ASC’s new standard,” Nireus Chairman and CEO Antonis Chachlakis said. “Working together with ASC for this common goal, as well as with our partners AB Vasilopoulos and WWF Greece, was a productive, demanding and fascinating process aiming to direct our sector to a better future for our stakeholders and our environment. The certification that Nireus obtained for its farms is only the beginning of our efforts while we deeply wish to serve as a model for our sector."
Sursan Sales Director Kerem Göksel said his company was “delighted” to have its farms be among the first to gain ASC certification for sea bass and sea bream.
“This underlines Sursan’s commitment to responsible fish farming,” Göksel said. “I am also proud of my team for the hard work they’ve put into the certification process. Our continuous aim will be to supply our customers with the best sea bass and sea bream products. We are already experiencing demand for ASC-certified sea bass and sea bream from our customers which shows their appreciation for the commitments we’ve made.”
ASC CEO Chris Ninnes congratulated both companies for the hard work that went into achieving certification, and also expressed the not-for-profit organization’s delight at the positive industry response to the standard.
“It’s gratifying that the first farms certified to this new standard are in Turkey and Greece, important centers of production for these increasingly popular species. Demand for sea bass, sea bream, and meagre is rising, and it’s important that farms act responsibly as production expands by meeting a transparent standard for best practices that protects the environment and promotes positive outcomes for workers and the community,” he said.
Nearly 30 additional farms in Turkey, Greece, Spain, Croatia, and Albania have undergone audits in the weeks since the standard went live.
The ASC Seabass, Seabream, and Meagre Standard was launched in September 2018. Audits could only take place at the end of a six-month effective period to give farmers and auditors the chance to familiarize themselves with the standard and to conform with the ISEAL Code of Good Standard Setting.
The new standard is based on indicators from ASC’s existing standards as well as additional metrics that were developed to address the specific impacts of farming sea bass, sea bream, and meagre. For the new requirements, ASC worked with NGOs and industry partners and conducted multiple site visits to Greece, Turkey, Japan, and other countries to develop new metrics, including prohibitions on the siting of farms near seagrass meadows.
