Second Edition Of Aquatic Life Institute’s Benchmark Reveals Remarkable Progress In Aquaculture Certification

The publicly available tool evaluates the animal welfare standards of some of the most well-known, global aquaculture certification schemes

(New York, NY) - In a significant stride toward improving the welfare of aquatic animals, all six certifiers reevaluated in the second edition of the Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark, published today by Aquatic Life Institute (ALI), have demonstrated improved scores compared to their previous evaluations. Debuting in this year's rankings, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) secured the top spot with a score of 9.5, slightly edging out Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.), which claimed the second position. Serving as a crucial tool to empower businesses in making informed decisions about their sourcing practices, the report also evaluated Naturland, RSPCA Assured, Global G.A.P., Friend of the Sea, and Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP).

The second edition of this benchmark further illuminates the criteria and strategies that translate into tangible enhancements and the implementation of humane practices for farmed aquatic animals. It focuses on five pivotal aspects of aquatic animal welfare, known as ALI's "five pillars": water quality, stocking density, environmental enrichment, feed composition, and stunning and slaughter. This updated edition also evaluates certifiers' responses to critical concerns, including the introduction of new species into the aquaculture supply chain and the prohibition of detrimental practices.

According to Catalina Lopez, Director of the Aquatic Animal Alliance, the primary goal of the Benchmark is to shed light on the current animal welfare standards in the industry and to pinpoint avenues for enhancing conditions on aquatic farms. "We commend certifiers for their enthusiastic participation in the evaluation process and their commitment to transparency and accountability," she stated.

The top-ranked certifier in this version is Aquaculture Stewardship Council's draft of their upcoming farm standard, which includes robust and continuous monitoring and evaluation requirements for farmers related to key welfare indicators, including water quality parameters and stocking density considerations. Best practices for stunning to guarantee animals are unconscious at the time of slaughter are also adequately addressed in this standard.

Meritxell Diez-Padrisa, Fish Health and Welfare Standard Manager at ASC, comments: “Ensuring advanced fish welfare requirements within our first version of the ASC Farm Standard has been a top priority for ASC. These requirements encourage farmers to actively monitor and manage the health and welfare of their fish on a day-to-day basis through the creation of fish health management systems. These are living documents created with the supervision and support of veterinarians and fish health professionals. ASC is extremely thankful to the various groups of experts that have contributed to the development of this new content, and we look forward to further driving improvements in the industry also from an animal welfare perspective.”

ALI's report highlights remarkable progress in the certification industry, particularly in areas such as environmental enrichment, which is increasingly considered a key aspect in ensuring positive experiences for aquatic animals. "Most evaluated certifiers already include or plan to include enrichment in their interventions. This trend is encouraging and could potentially enhance research for different species and types of enrichment," added Lopez.

Taking a Stand Against Harmful Practices

The benchmark applauds certifications that address issues such as the rejection of octopus/cephalopod farming, the banning of insects for fish feed, and the prohibition of eye-stalk ablation in shrimp farming. Certifiers like RSPCA and Friend of the Sea have recognized the necessity of banning octopus farming before it starts, acknowledging that it is impossible to guarantee high welfare conditions for this species due to its behavior, sentience, and carnivorous diet.

Additionally, the report applauds the collective efforts to eradicate egregious industry practices such as eye-stalk ablation, a cruel procedure involving the removal of one or both eyestalks from female shrimp to expedite reproduction. Most of the evaluated certifiers have already banned this practice, with leading retailers like Marks and Spencer's in the UK following suit.

Aquatic Life Institute remains dedicated to collaborating with certifiers to continually elevate welfare standards and stimulate scientific and technological innovation within the aquaculture industry. This ongoing commitment promises a brighter future for aquatic animals and the industry as a whole.

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