The Open Blue farm in Panama has become the first cobia producer in the world certified to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard. To attain certification, the farm was assessed by an independent auditor against a set of robust requirements stipulated by the ASC Seriola and Cobia Standard.
“I would like to extend my congratulations to Open Blue on their achievement in becoming the first cobia farm in the world certified against our standard. Welcoming the first cobia producer to our programme marks an important milestone for the ASC,” said Chris Ninnes, ASC’s CEO.
“Open Blue’s certification shows leadership in responsible aquaculture and sets an example for cobia producers around the world. Farms certified to ASC standard contribute to the health of the environment, protect local communities and care for workers. I look forward to welcoming more cobia farms to our programme in the future.”
Situated in the open waters of the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Panama, the Open Blue farm is fully submerged at depths of up to 100 feet. With a head office in Panama City and other offices in Miami, Los Angeles, Nova Scotia and throughout Europe, Open Blue is an international company that not only see the value in caring for the environment but also for its workers and the communities within which it operates.
“Achieving these key certifications marks a major milestone for us and for our customers for 2018,” said Chris Perry CEO of Open Blue. “Our innovative approach is to raise and harvest fish miles offshore in their natural ocean habitat in a responsible and sustainable way that honors and protects our sensitive ocean ecosystems and respects the workers and the communities around us.”
A standard for responsible cobia aquaculture
The Seriola and Cobia Standard is the result of more than eight years of development by farmers, scientists, conservationists, industry representatives and others stakeholders. The standard addresses the key environmental and social impact associated with cobia aquaculture, and consists of a set of measurable, performance-based requirements that farms must meet in order to become certified.
Certified cobia farmers minimise their environmental and social impacts in a number of ways. Certified farms are required to measure water parameters such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and oxygen levels and remain within set limits, fish escapes must be minimised, and the use of medicines before a disease is diagnosed is prohibited. There are strict limits for the use of wild fish as ingredient for feed, and farms must ensure full traceability back to a responsibly managed source.
From a social perspective, the cobia standard sets strict requirements based on the core principles of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) including prohibiting the use of child labour or any form of forced labour. All certified farms are safe and equitable working environments where employees earn a decent wage and have regulated working hours.
Transparent and independent assessment
The Open Blue farm gained its certification following a successful audit last September by certifier SCS Global Services, which is accredited to carry out assessment against the ASC farm standards.
“As our independent assessment confirms, Open Blue is deeply committed to responsible aquaculture practices and minimizing impacts on marine ecosystems,” said Juan Aguirre, SCS Project Manager of Sustainable Seafood. “Congratulations to Open Blue on being the first to demonstrate conformance with ASC’s stringent cobia standard.”
The ASC assessment process is independent, transparent and allow for a high level of stakeholder engagement. It follows a third party verification system, recognised as the highest level of assessment, which means farms seeking to become certified are audited by objective, independent conformity assessment bodies (CABs).
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About the ASC
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation co-founded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) in 2010 to manage the certification of responsible fish farming across the globe.
The ASC standards require farm performance to be measured against both environmental and social requirements. Certification is through an independent third party process and reports are uploaded to the public ASC website.
The on-pack ASC logo guarantees to consumers that the fish they purchase has been farmed with minimal impacts on the environment and on society.
The ASC standard addresses the following seven principles:
- Legal compliance (obeying the law, the legal right to be there)
- Preservation of the natural environment and biodiversity
- Preservation of the water resources and water quality
- Preservation of the diversity of species and wild populations (for example, minimising escapes that could become a threat to wild fish)
- Monitored and responsible use of animal feed and other resources Animal health (no unnecessary use of antibiotics and chemicals)
- Social responsibility (for example, no child labour, health and safety of employees, freedom of assembly, community relations).
For more information about ASC please visit www.asc-aqua.org.
Source: The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)