The announcement was made during the same time period as an international land based, closed-containment workshop was taking place in Vancouver earlier this week.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium assessment looked at land-based operations in British Columbia, Denmark and West Virginia where The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute (TCFFI) works in partnership with ASF in growing Atlantic salmon on land.
“The timing of this sustainability ranking couldn’t be better as we work to raise the profile of the environmental benefits of growing farmed Atlantic salmon on land,” said Jonathan Carr, ASF’s Executive Director of Research and Environment while attending the conference in Vancouver.
“The bar has been set very high for other farming operations. Atlantic salmon grown on land are produced without the need for antibiotics or harsh, environmentally harmful chemicals to control disease and parasites. The waste is recycled and the risk of disease is minimal, with no escapes jeopardising wild Atlantic salmon restoration and conservation efforts.”
In Vancouver, the Aquaculture Innovation Workshop focused on assessing the technical, biological, and economic feasibility of closed-containment aquaculture. It was co-hosted by TCFFI, ASF, Tides Canada and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
William Lahey, one of the experts leading the Independent Aquaculture Regulatory Review for Nova Scotia, presented to the workshop on the process, conclusions and recommendations of a recent draft report prepared by Lahey and Meinhard Doelle, two Dalhousie University Law Professors appointed by the provincial government to carry out its aquaculture regulatory review. The panel indicated that development of closed-containment systems could be a tremendous benefit to Nova Scotia’s future in aquaculture. The draft report also indicated that a worthy objective of Nova Scotia’s efforts to develop its aquaculture industry should be to establish that province’s industry as a leader in the development and deployment of closed-containment systems.
Chief Bill Cranmer, who addressed a similar workshop held in New Brunswick earlier this year, presented on the performance of the Namgis First Nation’s KUTTERA closed-containment project in British Columbia. KUTERRA also received top ranking from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch programme.
