June 21, 2024 - To promote responsible salmon aquaculture in Norway, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in partnership with Control Union Norge hosted a group of international buyers to showcase ASC certified salmon farming on the islands of Hitra and Frøya in Norway.
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| Retailers and suppliers enjoyed an educational tour about responsible salmon farming in Norway |
The Discovery Tour provided the group with a detailed and educational insight into the most relevant topics in responsible aquaculture and a firsthand look at the ASC Salon Standard in action.
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About half of globally farmed salmon is produced in Norway and the highest volume of ASC certified salmon. There are currently 342 ASC certified salmon farm sites in Norway representing around 40 percent of all Norwegian salmon. Due to the importance of Norway in global salmon aquaculture, connecting stakeholders across the supply chain is vital to sow the positive impact ASC is making on the ground.
Over the four-day tour, 12 attendees from retailers and suppliers, including Sainsbury's Colruty, Frais Embal, Highliner, Disney's, Pescanova, Loblaws and E-mart, were welcomed to the facilities and farms of Leroy, Salmar and Mowi. The tour provides buyers with firsthand insight into salmon farming and demonstrates the role of ASC certification in responsible aquaculture.
Highlights included:
- A visit to one of Leroy's hatchery facilities highlighting the complexity of this part of the salmon lifecycle and value-chain.
- A visit to Salmar's 'Ocean Farm 1', the first large-scale off-shore farm, demonstrating the impressive scale of Salmar's open sea farming innovation and prompted a discussion on the benefits and scalability of this farming method.
- A tour of a Mowi harvest vessel providing insight into Modi's innovative approach on harvesting directly at sea with the welfare benefits through fewer handling steps.
Laetitia Rosing, ASC's Norway Market Development Manager said, "Discovery Tour Norway is a unique opportunity to connect producers to processors and buyers and show them the demand of ASC certified salmon, firsthand what responsible aquaculture entails. Communicating the value behind ASC's label with its strong requirements, verification and traceability from farm to store shelf is critical to ensuring continuing demand for our certification in the marketplace, the ultimate pull for more farms adhering to our standards. The Discovery Tour was facilitated through the support of our sponsor Control Union Norge and we are most grateful they joined us on this learning trip together with our partners."
Winnie Choo, Senior Quality Assurance Manager of Loblaws Canada, said, "The tour was truly enlightening and deepened my understanding of the intricacies and advancements in sustainable aquaculture. I appreciated the opportunity to witness firsthand the innovative practices employed to ensure responsible and environmentally friendly salmon farming. I particularly valued the comprehensive presentations and the guided visits to various facilities which provided a thorough overview of the entire process from hatchery to harvest."
Florent Delpierre of Frais Embal said, "The ASC Discovery Tour on salmon in Norway allowed us to see the entire supply chain from egg to plate by visiting three different farmers. The requirements of the ASC label are significant and are focused on making the industry increasingly responsible. This also allowed us to understand the salmon feeding strategy, which will be a major issue for balance."
Korea's Smart representative Sieun Kim said, "through this tour, I learned how the salmon is handled and managed at a much higher standard than what Korean consumers expect. By connecting with our country representatives, I realised the importance and necessity of ASC certification in Korea. It was truly an honour to be able to participate."
The tour ended with a workshop and networking event. Speakers included Boomer who discussed the complexities and innovation needed in aquaculture feed, highlighting the differences the ASC Feed Standard makes regarding traceability of feed ingredients. The Norwegian Seafood Council provided consumer insights of salmon from markets across the globe and event sponsor Control Union Norge who presented an overview of assurance services for ASC certification.
Several ASC Discovery tours are held each year and offer retailers unrivalled access and in-depth insight into aquaculture producer regions. Tours also give producers the opportunity to connect with the global market and showcase their continuing commitment to responsible aquaculture. If you are a buyer or producer who would like to participate in the future, please contact ASC Global Lead Producer Outreach Marcos Moya at Marcos.moya@asc-aqua.org.
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The Aquaculturists
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