EMERYVILLE, CA — In a world first, Jade Tiger Abalone's Indented Head abalone farm has been recognized for environmental and social responsibility by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). Indented Head is the first farm to receive certification under the ASC Abalone Standard, and Jade Tiger demonstrated strong leadership in piloting this program.
"This is a huge step forward in Jade Tiger Abalone's journey to become the best possible aquaculture operation," said Anton Krsinich, General Manager of Jade Tiger Abalone. "Certification is about minimizing our environmental impact, providing good working conditions for our employees and being a good neighbour. We are incredibly proud of this achievement.
Our customers in Asia are increasingly seeking high quality, cleanly produced seafood, the accreditation process and maintaining this standard will help us retain and grow our market share.
We have ongoing conversations with our local community about how we can be the best possible neighbor. We remain committed to continuous improvement and protecting our local environment is something our team values highly."
The ASC Abalone Standard was finalised in 2012 by the Abalone Aquaculture Dialogues, which was initiated in 2010. The abalone standard addresses the potential adverse social and environmental impacts related to abalone aquaculture such as farm siting, feed, biosecurity, ecosystem effects, waste management and social responsibility.
"I am delighted to welcome the first certified abalone farm to the ASC programme," said Chris Ninnes, ASC's CEO. "To help consumers choose responsibly farmed seafood it is important to expand the offer of certified produce available. Now I look forward to the first ASC labelled abalone entering the market."
By committing to certification, Jade Tiger Abalone has opened itself to third-party evaluation in areas of energy and water use, local water quality impacts, and employment practices. SCS Global Services (SCS), a leading third-party certification body, completed the assessment of the Indented Head Farm.
"We are very pleased that Jade Tiger Abalone has committed to ASC and achieved certification," said Dr. Sabine Daume, SCS's Regional Director of Sustainable Seafood for Australasia. "Jade Tiger has shown great leadership by realizing the need for tight biosecurity and stringent health surveillance programs at their farm and here in Australia."
About the Aquaculture Stewardship Council:
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is as an independent, not-for-profit organisation co-funded 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.
About Jade Tiger Abalone:
Owned by the Craig Mostyn Group, Jade Tiger Abalone is a significant contributor to the Geelong region employing 25 full-time staff and contracting outsourced services locally. The facility produces 200 tonnes of Abalone each year, sold into Asian markets.
About SCS Global Services:
SCS Global Services has been providing global leadership in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards development for over 30 years. Our programs span across industries, recognizing achievements in aquaculture, fisheries, seafood chain of custody, food and agriculture, forestry, and more. We are accredited under a wide range of nationally and internationally recognized standards and are the first certification body accredited to offer ASC Abalone certification. Consistent with our mission, SCS is a Chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting our commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.
Further information on Jade Tiger Abalone:
http://www.craigmostyn.com.au/cm-food/jade-tiger-abalone/
Further information on the Aquaculture Stewardship Council:
http://www.asc-aqua.org/
Further information on SCS Global Services:
http://www.scsglobalservices.com
Source: SCS Global Services
