Aquatic Life Institute Unveils 4th Annual Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark

The welfare-based analysis reviews 9 global seafood certification schemes and 2 international ratings agencies

Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) published the fourth edition of its Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark report. The 2025 edition analyzes current welfare requirements within the primary farming standards of nine global seafood certification schemes and two international ratings agencies, which collectively oversee a substantial share of global farmed fish and shrimp production. Through sustained research and direct engagement with certifiers and rating agencies, the Benchmark shapes how retailers, investors, and regulators define truly responsible seafood.

The Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark remains the world’s only evidence-based tool designed to evaluate how strongly aquatic animal welfare is embedded within aquaculture certification and rating frameworks. The Benchmark is part of ALI’s ongoing work to help encourage progressive development related to animal welfare standards in aquaculture, and will be used as a tool by decision-makers worldwide as they make informed choices about sourcing from the certifiers that lead in aquatic animal welfare. Seafood certification schemes and ratings agencies act as de facto regulators in a largely unregulated global industry. Through transparent, comparative ranking, the Benchmark motivates certifiers to elevate their standards. The feedback period plays a crucial role in this process, offering certifiers detailed, evidence-based guidance on how to address identified gaps, turning evaluation into collaboration and competition into tangible welfare progress.

This year’s Benchmark includes nine global seafood certification schemes and two international ratings agencies, which, collectively, influence the treatment of tens of billions of aquatic animals each year. Within the report, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Certified Humane®, GLOBALG.A.P., Global Animal Partnership (GAP), Global Seafood Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP),  Friend of the Sea, Naturland Organic, OceanWise Seafood, RSPCA, Soil Association Organic, and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch are evaluated on water quality, stocking density and space requirements, environmental enrichment, feed composition, stunning and slaughter, and transport, which was added this year to recognize its critical role in animal welfare outcomes. In addition, the schemes and agencies are evaluated for their inclusion of prohibitions on octopus/cephalopod farming, use of insects in aquafeed, certification of shrimp from eyestalk-ablated broodstock; and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for faster growth (new in 2025).  

Based on assessment areas detailed above, Certified Humane® achieved the highest score in the 2025 Benchmark with 8.75 out of 10 points, demonstrating strong and comprehensive welfare provisions across all main criteria. Certified Humane® is now the only seafood certification scheme to achieve full points in the “Core Prohibitions” criteria of ALI’s Benchmark, marking a new model for comprehensiveness in aquatic animal welfare standards. They also became the second certifier globally to prohibit the use of insects in aquafeed, signaling growing alignment with true sustainability principles in the industry.  ASC and RSPCA tied for second place at 7.75/10, reflecting continued advancement. View the full assessment here.

“Certified Humane®  was founded to improve the lives of farm animals raised for food in response to a growing market demand for responsible production. The launch of our Atlantic Salmon standards in 2024 represented a significant milestone in expanding our work into aquatic species. We are honored by the Benchmark’s ranking, assessment and recognition of our scientifically-based standards!” – Dr. Rosangela Poletto, IFRS-Sertão, Director of Science and Research/HFAC Scientific Committee at Certified Humane®.

Leading up to the publication of this year’s Benchmark, and as a result of previous year’s Benchmark assessments, two certifiers made significant advancements in their welfare inclusions, demonstrating the ongoing impact of ALI’s engagements. 

• After five years of strategic advocacy, coalition-building, and expert engagement, ALI is pleased to mark a milestone in global aquatic animal welfare with the launch of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s (ASC) Farm Standard in May 2025. The updated ASC Farm Standard addresses and strengthens welfare protections for fish and other aquatic species. ALI’s contributions throughout the revision process, including extensive public consultations, expert recommendations, and technical working group involvement have helped ASC set a new precedent for aquaculture certification.
• In August, Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) announced that its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) program will eliminate eyestalk ablation in shrimp farming by 2030. This is a direct improvement resulting from years of ALI’s sustained engagement and earlier recommendations. The policy will apply to nearly 1,900 shrimp farms and 150 hatcheries currently certified under BAP, representing roughly 800,000 tonnes of shrimp annually. This  reform stands as one of the most quantifiable and far-reaching welfare outcomes to date, demonstrating how ALI’s Benchmark drives concrete, system-level protection for aquatic animals.

The significance of animal welfare in business practices has been heightened by the emphasis on sustainable development. Consumers are increasingly interested in product origin and are opting for socially and environmentally responsible supply chains. This shift in consumer behavior has led businesses to effectively demonstrate their commitment to ethical sourcing, resonate with conscientious consumers, and strengthen their brand’s reputation as a responsible and compassionate industry leader by sourcing from certification labels evaluated under this benchmark. 

“As our understanding of aquatic animal welfare becomes increasingly sophisticated, and despite the knowledge gaps that remain, we now have a clearer picture than ever of what these animals need not only to survive but to truly experience positive states,” said Steffan Edward, Certification Specialist at ALI. “By grounding the Benchmark in this advancing science, we are able to evaluate whether certification schemes are translating knowledge into meaningful practice, creating standards that honor the lives of the species they oversee. The annual cadence of this work is essential. Each cycle pushes certifiers to evolve, refine, and rise to the challenge of setting welfare expectations that reflect the best of what we know. It is how progress becomes not just possible, but inevitable.”

The Aquaculture Certification Schemes Benchmark and Seafood Certifier Campaign are both quintessential illustrations of ALI’s work to refine the conditions in which billions of aquatic animals are currently kept and to reject the introduction of additional animals into our global seafood supply chain. The Benchmark can help corporations and policymakers worldwide to adopt aquaculture certifications that embed animal welfare into supply chains and trade regulations, encouraging accountability and reshaping the seafood industry on a global scale. 

About Aquatic Life Institute

Aquatic Life Institute is an international non-profit organization that works on advancing aquatic animal welfare in both aquaculture and wild capture fisheries globally. The organization works with certifiers, nonprofits, academic institutions, industry stakeholders, governments, and the public to improve welfare of aquatic animals.