Aquaculture Stewardship Council

Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is an eco-certification scheme for farmed seafood. The ASC label appears on products from farms that have been assessed and certified as being environmentally and socially responsible according to a set of private standards.^[1]

Eco-certification and eco-labelling

Eco-labelling, resulting from an eco-certification process, is a market-based tool to promote the sustainable use of natural resources. It is a label placed on a product representing a seal of approval that the product was deemed to have fewer impacts on the environment than functionally or competitively similar products.^[2]

Organizations developing and managing an eco-label set standards against which applicants wishing to use the label will be judged and, if found to be in compliance, eventually certified. The parent organization also markets the label to consumers to ensure recognition and demand for labelled products. The theory is that eco-labels provide consumers with sufficient information to enable them to recognize and choose environmentally friendly products.

Fish list

The Fish list^[3] developed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency provides the following information:

• The French and English common names which are acceptable in Canada for the labelling of fish;
• The scientific names and their corresponding Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN) which is used to identify, on the Fish Import Notification, the species of fish being imported;
• For each species, the species related hazards (histamine production, environmental contamination, marine toxins) which it may be subject to;
• For each species related hazards (histamine production, environmental contamination, marine toxins), the list of species which may be subject to that hazard.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing can take place both within nationally-controlled waters and on the high seas.^[4]

Illegal fishing refers to:

• Fishing by national or foreign vessels within a country's Exclusive Economic Zone without permission, or undertaking fishing activities that contravene that country's laws or regulations.
• Fishing by a vessel flying the flag of a State party to a relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) that contravenes conservation or management measures adopted by that organization or part of international law.
• Fishing that violates national laws or international obligations.

Unreported fishing refers to:

• Fishing that has not been reported, or has been misreported, to the relevant national authority or RFMO.

Unregulated fishing refers to:

• Fishing within the regulatory zone of a RFMO of a vessel without a nationality, or by a vessel flying the flag of a state not party to the organization (Flag of convenience), which contravenes the conservation and management measure set out by the RFMO.
• Fishing outside of regulated zones, which is inconsistent with efforts under international law to conserve living marine resources.

Marine Stewardship Council

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international eco-certification organization. The blue MSC label is applied to wild fish or seafood from fisheries that have been certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard, a private set of requirements for sustainable fishing.^[5]

Ocean Wise

Ocean Wise makes recommendations and provides a logo that can be labelled on a fish and seafood product that the organization deems as “sustainable” or “ocean-friendly.” Ocean Wise labels can be found on restaurant menus or at grocery store counters.^[6]

Sustainable fisheries

Sustainable fisheries mean harvesting and farming fish stocks in a way that meets present needs without compromising the ability to meet future needs. A successful model for sustainable fisheries management relies on five areas: planning; making science-based decisions; managing environmental impacts; enforcing the rules; and monitoring results.^[7]