ASC consults on Farm Standard revisions
WATER quality control, fish slaughter practices and welfare for shrimp broodstocks are among the issues addressed in proposed changes to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s Farm Standard.
The ASC is consulting on two aspects of the Farm Standard – Water Quality and Fish Health and Welfare – as well as a new module for the Freshwater Trout Standard covering pike and perch.
The consultation runs between 1 March and 30 April 2023, and details can be found on the ASC website at www.asc-aqua.org/ programme-improvements/aligned-standard
The key issue for the Water Quality Standard is eutrophication, or the progressive and excessive enrichment of water with nutrients (such as nitrogen or phosphorous), which can lead to harmful algal blooms, reduction of dissolved oxygen and fish mortality.
The new Water Quality proposal, which will be included in the ASC Farm Standard, requires farms to monitor water quality to prevent eutrophication by identifying when a water body is starting to show signs of upward trophic status changes.
There are two main proposals for Fish Health and Welfare, which cover slaughter, and a tentative indicator to address shrimp eyestalk ablation.
The slaughter proposals set out more clearly the requirements for audit of slaughter practices, both on and off the farm being audited.
The proposal on eyestalk ablation attempts to deal with what is a widespread practice to induce rapid maturation and spawning through hormonal manipulation in female shrimp. It is a process that leads to suffering and stress, the ASC says.
The ASC says recent research, however, suggests that “ablation-free” production is possible in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). The current proposal thus only covers the Pacific white shrimp and no other species – e.g. black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) – due to lack of research on the specific species.
A proposed indicator for Pacific white shrimp will require farms to source all nauplii (the crustacean’s first stage of larvae), larvae or post-larvae from “ablation-free” female broodstock within certain timelines.
The ASC pike-perch provisions are intended to function as a module to the ASC Freshwater Trout Standard. It will be applicable exclusively to recirculating aquaculture systems
(RAS) and pond systems. The module will be structured based on seven principles covering compliance with laws and local regulations, conservation of habitat and biodiversity, minimising negative effects on water resources, risks of diseases transmission, responsible use of environmental resources, social responsibility, and requirements for fingerlings and egg suppliers.
The module will be launched in October 2023 and will be effective in 2024.