Sustainable Salmon Farming Mark Asman Head of Aquaculture
Aquaculture to me is simply the best way to grow food for an ever increasing world population. Just looking at the facts: world population expected to rise to 9.5 billion by 2050 and not stopping there, 70% of our planet is covered in water, less than 6% of our protein comes from the sea, and wild-capture fisheries have plateaued. There is no doubt aquaculture will continue to be one of the fastest growing agricultural businesses for many years to come. Going further, land, freshwater and energy will be in increasing demand, so it is best to leave these resources for people, cows and chickens, while we look to the sea to meet growing seafood demands. I was fortunate to have become involved in the aquaculture industry over 30 years ago and have the opportunity to work in several countries with several different species. What I have seen is a young industry grow, learn and improve extremely rapidly. In fact, the rate of change today is at its greatest pace. When growing at this pace, some mistakes can be made and conflicts with other user groups occur, however the overall picture is positive and the industry will continue to evolve and grow because the demand is there. What truly impresses me is how our small industry in Tasmania is on the cutting edge of the Salmon farming industry and recognised the world over. Our team at Tassal is among the world’s best. Not only willing and able to produce the best fish, but to do so safely, sustainably and have the ability to adapt to the challenges of a rapidly developing industry. Tassal has understood for many years it can’t make up its own standards, nor choose its own science, but rather it needs to submit itself to expert scrutiny, assessment and evaluation. We are committed to providing Australians with responsibly sourced Tasmanian grown Atlantic Salmon. We actively pursue Aquaculture 24
Tassal Sustainability Report 2017
Stewardship Council (ASC) certification across our operations and we have full chain of custody across all our processing plants. Obtaining and maintaining ASC certification, which provides consumers and the public full traceability and transparency, is difficult. ASC audits are comprehensive and review Tassal’s entire operation across 154 individual compliance criteria. It is not just marine farms which the ASC assesses, but also hatcheries/ nurseries, workplace health and safety systems, human resources and the Chain of Custody from harvest through to distribution and sale. Community and stakeholder engagement is also a requirement of each audit, with feedback sought through community meetings and written submissions. Nothing less than ASC certification, embracing world’s best practice, can be claimed as the most credible endorsement of sustainability for farmed Salmon. Trusted certification schemes accelerate demand growth and are a critical mechanism for improving consumer knowledge and building new markets for sustainable products. Certification has allowed us to understand stakeholder needs as well as understand how to better enhance public confidence in the areas where we operate. It ensures continuous improvement and supports growth and operational performance. We are entering into a whole new phase with our certification – identifying gaps and building more local relevance in the process. This is being achieved through the implementation of regional Community Advisory Groups and increased frequency of local information sessions.