Years of working towards sustainable aquaculture bore fruit today after Cermaq Chile gained ASC certification (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), the highest standard of the salmon industry that evaluates social, environmental and health indices.). This represents an important step leap forward for the salmon industry in Chile

Today, Cermaq Chile proudly received news of the approval of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, following the audit conducted between May 12th – 14th at the Unicornio Sur fish farm, located in the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica.
“This certification is recognition of the work we have done over a number of years and hope to continue replicating within the various [fish farming] centers of the company. In Cermaq Chile, we are convinced that the future of our business goes hand in hand with a sustainable operation that includes careful procedures regarding environmental matters and health, whilst also considering residents and workers in neighboring towns as key elements of joint development”, said Francisco Miranda, Chief Operating Officer of the company.
ASC, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, is an independent nonprofit organization, founded in 2010 by WWF and IDH (Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative) to define global standards for responsible aquaculture. These were discussed in the Aquaculture Dialogues, a program of roundtables initiated and coordinated by the WWF for the past 10 years, where Cermaq took actively part
The objective of the ASC is to be the world’s leading program for the certification and labeling of responsibly farmed seafood. It is a global organization that works with aquaculture producers, seafood processors, retail and foodservice companies, scientists, conservation groups and the general public to promote the best environmental and social choice in seafood.
For Cermaq, this certification represents double value because it is not only a mission as a company of sustainable production, but also a commitment as a member of GSI (Global Salmon Initiative). The members of this initiative, signed by 17 companies that make up more than 70% of the global salmon industry, made ​​a commitment to certify their centers by 2020. Cermaq is part of this commitment and an active member of GSI, an initiative that seeks to create significant progress towards a common goal, which is to provide, in time, a highly sustainable source of healthy protein, in order to feed a growing world population, while minimizing the environmental footprint, whilst continuing to improve the social contribution.
“Certification according to ASC requires significant achievement in sustainabile farming practices and efforts by the applicants. I am pleased to see what our Chilian colleagues have accomplished in this respect, which also is an inspiration for similar efforts in the other farming regions of the Cermaq group. This first certification by ASC also illustrates the commitment Cermaq and the other GSI member companies h