Tasmanian salmon producer Tassal says it has achieved a first for any salmon company in the world by attaining Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification across its full salmon farming operation.
Tassal says it has been working in partnership with WWF to fully align its operations with the ASC’s responsible Salmon Standard for three years, and its ASC certification places it at the forefront of responsible global salmon aquaculture.
To meet the ASC’s responsible Salmon Standard, Tassal implemented significant upgrades, including:
- Reducing reliance on fish meal and fish oil in feed; resulting in reduced pressure on wild fish stocks and less pressure on the environment through improved feed formulations. Tassal is a global-leader in this area, with one of the lowest Feeder Fish Dependency Ratios (FFDR) in the world, and together with feed supplier Skretting, is continuing to lower this ratio.
- Removing the last copper treated nets from the water in June this year, replacing them with Kikko nets, made from semi-rigid polyester monofilament – an investment of $10 million.
- Creation of a full ASC dashboard which reports in real time any antibiotic use, wildlife interactions or unexplained fish loss across all of Tassal’s marine sites. All reports are available publically online and are fully audited.
- Development of a new fish health department, including onsite lab, two vets, a fish health field officer and lab technician, as well as the development of a zero harm fish welfare program.
You can see more on Tassal's ASC journey here:
