Global salmon farmers chart environmental progress
The Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), which represents approximately 40% of salmon production worldwide, has seen a 48% decrease in antibiotic use among its members in the past nine years.
The GSI also reported that nearly half (48%) its members’ production was Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified in 2021.
Launching its annual Sustainability Report today, the GSI – which has 13 salmon farming members – said its pre-competitive collaboration model has yielded “measurable environmental progress” since its formation in 2013.
GSI members continued to improve the eco-efficiency of feed ingredients, including assessing the role and adoption of novel ingredients such as algae, and using certified marine raw ingredients and sustainable by-products.
This diversification and innovation has resulted in a 22% average reduction in the use of marine ingredients since 2013, according to the report.
GSI members also paved the way for more holistic approaches to preventing and managing sea lice, driving a 38% decrease in combined average in-bath and in-feed treatments since 2013.
Challenges
Regin Jacobsen, Bakkafrost CEO and GSI co-chair, said: “The past three years made it abundantly clear that our food system needs far greater resiliency. Through GSI, we can focus on the areas we know need improving and prepare ourselves for the challenges to come.
“This means working collectively to reduce our carbon footprint and biological risks, while continually enhancing fish welfare and local community contributions.
“GSI’s Sustainability Report serves as both an annual reminder of how far we’ve come as an industry and a compass to guide the work that remains.”
Chris Ninnes, Aquaculture Stewardship Council CEO, added: “More than half of the seafood we eat comes from aquaculture, meaning we must make fish farming as sustainable as possible, now and increasingly so for the future. ASC relies on partners like GSI to help make this happen.”
The GSI also has a number of associate members in both the pharmaceutical and feed industries, including Benchmark Holdings, BioMar, Skretting and MSD Animal Health.
Expertise
GSI CEO Sophie Ryan said the organisation represents 23,000 people, global expertise, years of experience and “a shared commitment to constantly do better for the fish, the ocean and the communities where we farm”.
“We want our Sustainability Report to be a signal of members’ shared commitment to raise a great product in the most responsible way.
“But the proof is in our data and we know that good is never good enough. This report is our way of motivating progress, holding one another accountable and doubling down on areas where we need to improve and innovate faster.”
Read the full Sustainability Report here.
