Salmon farmer achieves gold sustainability standard
Opinion
While the likes of the Monterey Bay Aquarium with its “red/yellow/green” pocket card proclaim that they are qualified to tell the world what constitutes a “sustainable farmed seafood”, they more often than not do not have the qualifications needed to provide a science-based justification for their ranking of farmed fish. As an example, they generally consider hatchery-raised and open net-pen raised salmon from Alaska’s aquaculture organizations as a “green” choice, while conventionally farmed salmon elsewhere is frowned upon with a “red” (avoid) rating. It makes one wonder about the aquariums’ real motivation and priorities.
Thanks to professional visionaries like Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund, a process has been established to examine the world salmon farming industry with all of its components as far as true sustainability is concerned. This involves environmental impacts from escaped fish, benthic impacts, sources of raw material for fish feed and disease transfer between wild and farmed salmon. A rigorous auditing process has been established, and today, Australia’s Tassal salmon farming company was one of the first to obtain certification by the WWF under its new Aquaculture Stewardship Council- a sister-organization to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which certifies the sustainability of commercial, non-farmed fisheries.
A release issued by WWF Australia today stated that;
ASC is the highest standard for responsibly farmed seafood in the world and provides consumers with an assurance that they are purchasing seafood from farms that limit their impacts on the environment and communities. WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman said the announcement was a great example of an Australian company demonstrating global leadership on sustainability. “Customers are demanding more sustainable products. Sustainability makes sense for the environment, and for the long term profitability of Australian companies,” Mr O’Gorman said. “Fish production from aquaculture is currently the fastest growing animal-food-producing sector in the world, accounting for nearly half of the world’s total food fish supply. “It is critically important then that aquaculture operations such as salmon farms are managed responsibly so that the industry can be part of a solution to feeding a growing global population without placing further stresses on the environment.” WWF-Australia and Tassal formed a partnership in 2012 focused on achieving ecologically sustainable aquaculture production, safeguarding valuable marine ecosystems and ensuring the long-term viability of seafood supply. The aim of the partnership is to ensure all Tassal seafood meets the ASC standards of responsible aquaculture practices by 2015 and to educate consumers about responsibly produced seafood, including ASC certified products. With Tassal aiming to have all six of its farming regions certified to ASC standard by Spring 2014, ASC Certified salmon would then account for 40% of the Australian salmon market. The ASC is an independent, not-for-profit organization established to manage global standards for responsible aquaculture. The ASC works with aquaculture producers, seafood processors, retail and food service companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental and social choice in responsibly farmed seafood.
