Photo: ASC

Shrimp, Sustainability, and Scale: A New Roadmap for Aquaculture Reform

ASC and SFP champion a landscape approach to tackle the challenges of a rapidly expanding global industry, using India's shrimp sector as a pilot.

In a groundbreaking initiative to transform the future of global aquaculture, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) have released a new roadmap for "landscape-level" improvements. This easy-to-read, interactive document offers a practical pathway to scale sustainability by aligning stakeholders and empowering them with innovative, regional solutions.

Photo: ASC

The roadmap is the result of a Walmart Foundation grant to SFP, which focused on a pilot project in the Indian shrimp sector within the state of Andhra Pradesh. The project, titled "Building a foundation for landscape-level improvements in India," combined a review of existing landscape and jurisdictional initiatives with firsthand learning from local farms. This work aimed to untangle the challenges of providing incentives and driving widespread environmental improvements in a fragmented and rapidly growing industry.

The ASC and SFP bring complementary strengths and a shared commitment to achieving 100% responsibly managed seafood. Together, they are championing a new model for sustainability that draws from successful strategies in other commodities to enable effective aquaculture improvement at scale.

"Landscape approaches elevate the environmental and social performance of the region, reducing barriers and providing farmers with the opportunities to drive improvements, but this must rely on local expertise and organizations working in the sector," said Jill Swasey, ASC Director of Impacts. "Demonstrating these collective improvements will deliver impacts at scale."

Why a Landscape Approach Matters

Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest-growing food sectors and holds tremendous potential to provide climate-smart, nutritious, and sustainable food. However, only about 51% of global aquaculture production is currently certified or rated against recognized sustainability standards, a figure that highlights a significant gap in an industry where over 70% of production comes from small-scale producers. These producers often face challenges with financing, technical knowledge, and a lack of clear land ownership or strong regulatory oversight, which makes achieving individual farm-level certification difficult and costly.

The landscape approach provides a vital alternative. It emphasizes collaboration among diverse stakeholders—including farmers, government bodies, NGOs, and the private sector—to raise the environmental and social baseline across shared geographic areas. This strategy does not replace certifications but rather builds on them, creating a collective, adaptive, and inclusive model to drive measurable change.

A key focus of the work in Andhra Pradesh was building strong relationships with local institutions and organizations. "Everything we do in-country should be done by local institutions, and there is tremendous local capacity in Andhra Pradesh," said SFP Chief Executive Officer Jim Cannon. "Our role is just to connect the dots and work through established local players – they will be there long after you’re gone."

Case in Point: Shrimp Farming in Andhra Pradesh

As shrimp demand continues to surge—it is now the most consumed seafood in the U.S. and among the top in the EU—India has become a key player, producing nearly one million metric tons annually. The vast majority of this production comes from smallholder farms, often under two hectares, with Andhra Pradesh at the forefront. The state has an ambitious goal to expand its aquaculture area from 400,000 to one million acres by 2030, a plan that will bring rapid growth but also increased pressure on local ecosystems and communities.

Photo: SFP

This roadmap uses shrimp farming in Andhra Pradesh as a pilot application, offering insights into how landscape-level approaches can address these complex challenges, which have historically included water pollution, salinization of drinking water, and habitat destruction. By integrating sustainability across the region and strengthening local governance, the roadmap ensures long-term resilience for the environment, the shrimp industry, and the communities that depend on it.

A Practical and Inclusive Roadmap

The roadmap includes:

• A Step-by-Step Framework: Practical guidance for developing and implementing landscape-level Aquaculture Improvement Projects (AIPs), adaptable globally.

• Application Case Study: Detailed lessons from the pilot project in Andhra Pradesh.

• Multi-Stakeholder and Holistic Focus: A model that encourages collaboration across the supply chain, civil society, and government.

• Integration with Global Frameworks: A design that draws from leading bodies of work such as the Global Sustainable Aquaculture Roadmap and the Guidelines for Seafood Jurisdictional Initiatives.

Photo: SFP

This initiative marks a shift from farm-level improvements to systemic, regional change, recognizing that shared landscapes—and the people and ecosystems within them—are interconnected. By aligning incentives, decreasing risk, and improving shrimp survival through better practices and technology, this model offers a scalable and impactful solution. The roadmap is designed to be iterative, with each step refined and revisited as conditions evolve, ensuring long-term sustainability and inclusivity.

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