The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has teamed up with Fair Trade USA on a Walton Family-funded project meant to drive improvements in Indonesian aquaculture sector, the organizations announced on 1 May.
For the project, ASC and Fair Trade will combine “access, knowledge, and experience to encourage improvements in the environmental and social impacts of Indonesian aquaculture,” they said in a press release. The organizations will aim to work collaboratively to explore ways to streamline joint certification, help update farming practices, and encourage greater responsibility. The hope is that this collaboration “will drive improvements on the ground and help promote engagement of producers in the market,” according to ASC and Fair Trade.
Additionally, the organizations plan to join forces with the Government of Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF) to support further development of the local IndoGAP standards and policies, they said.
Approximately USD 500,000 (EUR 446,717) has been approved by the Walton Family for the project in response to a joint application submitted by ASC and Fair Trade. Over the course of two years, the project is expected to deliver sustainable benefits for Indonesian producers, their employees, the surrounding communities and ecosystem.
Indonesia, as the second biggest producer of farmed fish in the world, has broad influence over the global aquaculture sector, said Roy van Daatselaar, producer support manager and project lead for ASC.
“Improving fish farming practices in Indonesia will have a significant and positive impact on our mission to improve standards of aquaculture around the world,” said Daatselaar. “Collaboration is an integral part of the ASC program. This project will draw on the complementary strengths of our two organizations to bring lasting benefit to the local community through initiatives that will lead to better outcomes for the environment and those that work on, and live near, the participating farms. We’re grateful to The Walton Family for making this ambitious project possible.”
