ASCs (Aquaculture Stewardship Council Certification)

ASC certification is a third-party ecolabel run by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council that marks farmed seafood produced to defined environmental and social standards, the farmed-side counterpart to the wild-capture MSC label. Founded in 2010 by WWF and the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative, ASC sets species and farm standards covering water quality, escapes, feed sourcing, disease and antibiotic use, and worker rights, audited against a chain-of-custody certificate. Its green fish logo distinguishes it from the blue MSC tick. ASC and MSC share heritage and run a joint Seaweed Standard, but ASC certifies aquaculture while MSC certifies wild fisheries.