Shinan-gun, First in the World to Obtain ASC-MSC Dual Certification for Stake-Type Seaweed Farms

County Governor Park Woo-ryang: "Expand International Certification to All Seaweed Farms in Sinan"

On the 25th, Sinan County, Jeollanam-do (Governor Park Woo-ryang) held a ceremony to present the ASC-MSC international certification, attended by seaweed farming households, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC KOREA), distributors (Pulmuone Foods), and certified farm families.

According to the county on the 28th, Sinan Seaweed Fisheries Cooperative (CEO Bae Chang-nam), which obtained the ASC-MSC international certification this time, applied last September for the 31.5 hectares of stake-type seaweed farms in Daecheon-ri, Aphae-eup, and after a rigorous review, acquired the certification on the 6th of last month.

The ASC-MSC international certification handover ceremony was held with the participation of kim fish farmers, the Marine Management Council, distributors, and families of certified fish farms.
[Photo by Sinan-gun]

The MSC certification and ASC certification programs are systems established by the UK's Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Netherlands' Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), respectively, to set standards for the sustainable production and management of seafood, with third-party strict assessments for certification. The simultaneous ASC-MSC certification of stake-type seaweed farms is significant as it is the world's first.

Moreover, obtaining this certification is difficult, and maintaining it through annual reassessments is also very stringent, which underscores its value. Certified products trade at prices more than 15% higher than uncertified products, which is expected to greatly help increase the income of seaweed farmers.

Governor Park Woo-ryang stated, “The entire seaweed farming area in the Sinan mudflats, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, has received ASC-MSC certification. We will do our best to provide administrative support such as certification costs so that Sinan seaweed can be recognized worldwide.”

Sinan County is a representative industry region producing 55 billion KRW worth of raw seaweed from 504 households across 9,601 hectares of seaweed farms. In March, fishing grounds including Eoui-ri, Jido-eup, were designated as the nation’s first seaweed industry promotion zone.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.