© Gloria Maris
Located along the beaches of the Hauts-de-France region, the facility earned the designation after demonstrating compliance with the ASC seabass and seabream standard, which covers environmental responsibility, animal welfare, responsible feed and resource use, and social accountability. This certification marks a major milestone for French aquaculture, expanding the local availability of certified farmed seafood.
Maxime Engler, ASC France market development Manager, said in a press release: “ASC congratulates Gloria Maris Côte d’Opale on this remarkable achievement. As a pioneer, Gloria Maris Côte d’Opale is leading the way and demonstrating that a transparent, and responsible French aquaculture sector can meet the highest environmental and social standards.”
Bastien Riera, deputy chief executive officer of the Gloria Maris Group, added: “Achieving ASC certification is an important recognition of the work carried out by our teams over many years. This certification reflects our commitment to contributing to the development of a responsible, transparent, and demanding French aquaculture sector.”
Operating since 1982, Gloria Maris Côte d’Opale has been farming seabass and seabream for more than 40 years. To achieve certification, the facility underwent an audit conducted by a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) to verify compliance across key operational metrics.
The audit evaluated site performance across several core areas:
- Monitoring and reducing environmental impacts
- Managing aquaculture-related discharges
- Protecting surrounding ecosystems
- Ensuring responsible management of resources and animal health
- Providing good working conditions
