May 28, 2020

 

 

A new sustainability report from the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) shows that, for the past seven years, salmon farmers around the world have cut their antibiotic use by 50%, SeaWestNews reported.

 

Salmon farmers were able to achieve this through innovative disease control mechanisms and aquaculture stewardship. Representing 50% of the global farmed salmon industry, the latest GSI sustainability report documents the environmental performance and nutritional profile of farm-raised salmon of the world's major suppliers.

 

The report also highlights the eco-efficiencies of farming salmon compared with land-based animal protein, which include lower carbon footprint, higher protein retention and more efficient use of feed resources.

 

"Aquaculture is the fastest growing global food sector, and as such we felt it was important to document the contribution farmed salmon can make to healthy, sustainable diets," said Sophie Ryan, GSI's Chief Executive Officer.

 

"Within this report, we have outlined the environmental performance and nutritional content of farm-raised salmon, allowing people to make informed choices based on up-to-date information, as well as showing where and how we plan to make further progress."

 

The GSI is a leadership effort established by global farmed salmon CEOs to drive positive change at scale to offer healthy food, produced with minimal environmental impact.

 

British Columbia's salmon farmers are among the top performers when it comes to reduction in the use of antibiotics with less than 5% of their farmed salmon requiring antibiotics during their lifetime.

 

Between 1996 and 2017, use of antibiotics at B.C. salmon farms declined from 516 grammes per tonne of salmon to just 59 grammes, a 775% reduction.

 

"This progress has been made thanks to a concerted effort to rear fish in a healthy environment that limits stress and reduces susceptibility to pathogens," said Shawn Hall, a spokesperson for the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).

 

"Fish receive preventative vaccinations before going into ocean pens, and once in the pens are regularly visited by trained fish health professionals and licensed veterinarians to monitor their health. If disease-causing bacteria is detected on a farm, a veterinarian will review the data and prescribe antibiotics if appropriate," he said.

 

B.C.'s ocean-based Atlantic salmon farmers, who support 7,000 middle-class jobs contributing US$1.5 billion to the local economy every year, were among the first to sign on to the Global Salmon Initiative.

 

They are on track to be 100% certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) within the next few years. To achieve certification under the ASC Salmon Standard, farms are audited against 500 separate aspects of the site's performance. It is considered to be the gold standard in environmental and social certification.