Jindo Abalone Obtains ASC Certification for Eco-Friendly Seafood

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[Jindo=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-kyung] Jindo abalone from Jeollanam-do is expected to significantly increase its brand value after receiving the ASC international certification, an eco-friendly seafood international certification.

The ASC certification involves a stringent certification process and high costs, requiring guarantees from environmental management to workers' rights and safety.

Since 2019, Jindo County has been making efforts to become a production site for eco-friendly seafood through education, consulting, and inspections, which have now borne fruit.

With the abalone ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) international certification, the county expects to revitalize the abalone aquaculture industry, which has been facing difficulties such as price drops and consumption limits, and to help secure export competitiveness to countries like China and Japan.

Especially in the post-COVID-19 era, as consumers' interest in the environment increases, it is anticipated that the preference for internationally certified eco-friendly seafood will rise.

The area around the abalone aquaculture island in Gunnae-myeon, Jindo County, which received the abalone ASC certification, is a clean area with fewer aquaculture farms compared to other regions in Jeollanam-do, with cold water currents flowing and no red tide damage.

The Abalone Island Cooperative, established for export purposes, consists of 71 fishing households and is one of the Jindo County abalone aquaculture complexes generating an annual income of over 20 billion KRW.

A representative from the Fisheries Support Division of Jindo County stated, “Through the ASC international certification, we will widely promote the excellence of Jindo’s eco-friendly abalone and continue to pursue certification for seaweed produced in Jindo County, focusing administrative efforts on sustainable fisheries and eco-friendly seafood production.”

Meanwhile, the ASC certification system was jointly established in 2010 by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative of the Netherlands) to prevent marine resource overfishing and marine pollution caused by aquaculture overcrowding and to operate sustainable aquaculture fisheries.

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