Whitepaper on Standards for Aquaculture Impacts on Benthic Habitat, Biodiversity ad Ecosystem Function

The ASC Standards set strict requirements for responsible farming, which encourage seafood. The standards define criteria designed to validate the environmental sustainability and social responsibility of the aquaculture sector. These standards have been developed based on the following seven basic Principles: 1. Comply with all applicable national laws and local regulations. 2. Conserve natural habitat, local biodiversity and ecosystem function. 3. Protect the health and genetic integrity of wild populations. 4. Use resources in an environmentally efficient and responsible manner. 5. Manage disease and parasites in an environmentally responsible manner. 6. Develop and operate farms in a socially responsible manner. 7. Be a good neighbor and conscientious citizen.
A new ASC Farm Standard is being developed to better align all the current species-specific standards and as part of the commitment to continuous improvement based on the evolution of both science knowledge and best aquaculture practices. A revision of the current ASC benthic organic enrichment monitoring requirements is under development to address the potential impacts of solid organic waste products from aquaculture, including waste feed and/or faeces, on benthic habitat, biodiversity and ecosystem function. Organic enrichment of the seabed is a key environmental concern across the open water marine and freshwater aquaculture industry.
This whitepaper provides the rationale for a revised ASC benthic organic enrichment monitoring requirements and ecological quality decision-support system. These revised requirements place limits on both the magnitude and spatial scale of alterations and disruptions to benthic habitat, biodiversity and ecosystem function. A range of abiotic and biotic indicators are described herein that can serve as proxies for numerically classifying the Ecological Quality Status (EQS) of open-water farms.