New ASC milestone for Mowi as all freshwater sites certified

The milestone follows ASC certification for Mowi’s seawater farms at Loch Linnhe, Gorsten, Marulaig Bay and Stulaigh, announced in January.

The ASC standards are a result of the Aquaculture Dialogues, initiated by the World Wildlife Fund, and founded the development of verifiable environmental and social performance levels that measurably reduce or eliminate the key impacts of salmon farming.

Responsible aquaculture

The ASC organisation works with scientists, conservation groups, NGOs, aquaculture producers, seafood processors, retail and foodservice companies and consumers to recognise and reward responsible aquaculture.

Speaking about the ASC certification, Sam Clegg, Mowi Scotland’s certification manager, said: ‘This is a really significant milestone for Mowi in Scotland to have all freshwater sites certified.

‘Now our entire smolt production is viable for ASC certification against the Salmon Standard in seawater.

‘The ASC Salmon and Freshwater Trout standards are widely recognised as the most robust and far-reaching environmental and social standards for global aquaculture.’

Inconsistencies

Until July 2019, Mowi Scotland’s practice of growing around half of its smolts in freshwater sites made ASC certification of marine sites impossible because the ASC’s Salmon Standard required smolts to be raised in on-land facilities.

That changed following a revision of the ASC’s Salmon Standard and Freshwater Trout Standard, which resolves inconsistencies between the two and meant all freshwater salmonid farming, including salmon smolt production, would be audited against the Freshwater Trout Standard.

Mowi Scotland is the only aquaculture company in the UK to achieve this certification. The company’s objective to achieve 100% ASC certification for all its sites around the world.