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Page 70aquaculture, have been produced in a sociallyand environmentally responsiblemanner. The ASC, which is an acronym forAquaculture Stewardship Council, is as anindependent, not-for-profit organization cofundedby the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)and The Sustainable Trade Initiative in2010 to manage the certification of responsiblefish farming across the globe.The CEO of the ASC, Chris Ninnes, explainedthat the feed sector plays an enormouslyimportant role in securing the successof the ASC and also that of the fishfarming sector when it takes on the challengesthat are posed in only buying feedfrom demonstrably responsible sources.Some of the efforts required by the feedsuppliers are to ensure that all raw materialsare traceable to source; that it can bedemonstrated that they do not contain speciesof conservation concern, or are derivedfrom illegal operations."Some of the major source materials usedin feed can have significant environmentalimpacts and these need to be reduced.Adoption of best practices will do much toreduce these impacts and the concertedefforts of the feed producers and fish farmerswill be pivotal to drive these changes",said Chris Ninnes.BioMar is at the forefront in promoting responsiblepractices in aquaculture. TheBioSustain program allows BioMar to providefish farmers with a calculation of therelative sustainability profiles for differentfeed products. This in turn allows fish farmersto make responsible choices as well asdocumenting to consumers that the finalfish product has been produced with thelowest possible environmental impact. Thecalculation of the feed sustainability profileis done based on detailed eco-efficiencyevaluations of all the different feed ingredientsas well as the manufacturing processes.While the ASC logo is still new and relativelyunknown it can be compared to theMSC eco-label, which has in just a couple ofyears become a well-known symbol guaranteeingthat the wild caught fish and fishproducts originates from sustainable fisheriesand has been manufactured in a responsiblemanner.After the initial launch of the ASC standardfor pangasius and tilapia, it is now time fortrout and salmon to be certified and a largenumber of fish farmers are going for theASC -certification.In Denmark alone, more than 50% of thetotal volume of trout produced in aquacultureis expected to be certified or in processof certification by the end of 2013.