(SeafoodSource) The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is holding a press conference on 20 August to formally introduce the first ASC-labeled product — tilapia from a farm in Indonesia.
Four months ago, the ASC launched its first standard by opening the accreditation process for tilapia, allowing the first ASC-certified seafood to hit the marketplace.
Standards for tilapia were finalized in December 2009 by the Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue, a process coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund. Standards for pangasius and bivalves were completed in August 2010, followed by abalone in October 2011. Standards for a few more species, including salmon and freshwater trout, are still being developed.
“ASC-certified products will be marked with a logo, enabling consumers to select seafood that comes from farms that limit their impacts on the environment and communities,” the group said in a press release announcing the conference, which will take place in Amsterdam. “Supermarkets in Europe and North America will shortly have farmed fish with the ASC logo on the packaging, starting with tilapia.”