King Kampachi Offshore Farm Gets ASC Certification
The World’s First ASC-certified Kampachi is now available
CleanFish partner The Kampachi Company announced today that its offshore operation in La Paz, Mexico has undergone the rigorous auditing process against the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standards, and has now been ASC certified. The company’s King Kampachi is now the world’s first ASC-certified Kampachi (Seriola rivoliana). It is available in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and will soon be in Europe and Japan. ASC certification recognizes aquaculture producers as environmentally and socially responsible.
Neil Anthony Sims, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of The Kampachi Company, noted that the ASC’s mission to drive continuous improvement in the aquaculture industry aligns with that of The Kampachi Company.
“From King Kampachi’s conception, the goal of meeting and exceeding ASC standards has been baked into our company’s core mission,” said Sims. “We want our customers and consumers to recognize that offshore aquaculture — done responsibly — can meet even the most exacting environmental and social standards.
“In offshore aquaculture, we strive to always be conscious of the fact that we are using a common property resource. There is therefore an onus on us to work respectfully, as an integral part of our community, and within the assimilative capacities of the ecosystem,” added Sims. “ASC standards provide third-party validation, against which we can measure our success in adhering to these values.”
ASC is pleased to see another first for the program and excited to see ASC certified products from King Kampachi available for consumers soon, according to Kathleen Mullen-Ley, ASC U.S. Commercial Manager.
“ASC certification requires that farms meet robust environmental and social standards. When new products and species are certified it expands the choices available for consumers looking for responsibly produced products, which is why this is such good news for seafood lovers,” said Mullen-Ley.
Jorge Schmidt, The Kampachi Company’s CEO, welcomes the opportunity for market recognition inherent in pioneering ASC certification in this species, and for marine finfish in Mexico.
“Two years ago, our company didn’t exist. In record time, we assembled a driven and talented team that developed and carried out, with speed and precision, the world-class processes that made it possible to achieve ASC certification simultaneously with the start of our commercial level production. We will continue to apply this method to become the largest hatchery-based Kampachi producer in the world by this time next year,” said Schmidt.