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Why Salmon Farming Is Critical
Most of the salmon available in supermarkets is farmed salmon. Wild salmon have been over-fished to the point of being inadequate to meet the demands of the growing population. If major improvements are not implemented soon, farms will not be able to meet the need in the near future. It is crucial to survival to make the aquaculture industry more sustainable.
Fish and seafood in general are excellent sources of protein. They are low in fat, contain Omega-3, and are nutrient-rich sources of food. The ocean, if humans do not completely destroy it first, is the best prospect to be able to produce enough food in the near future. The production cycle for salmon farming is only three years, which is faster than protein sources on land.
The first year salmon are farmed in controlled fresh water environments. The second year, salmon are transported to special net cages in the ocean. By the third year, most of the salmon are large enough to harvest and send to processing plants. Components that threaten the cycle are disease and non-sustainable feed. Steps are begin taken by over fifty percent of the salmon farming industry through the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI).
The GSI was launched in 2013 by the executives of salmon farms in Scotland, Chile, and Norway. It now has 17 members from 8 countries. The Initiative operates via the unconventional approach of working together pre-competitively. That means improving the whole industry by elevating standards and sustainability efforts in begin processes before salmon goes to market.
One important step currently being implemented by GSI is getting all their salmon farms certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) by the year 2020. 165 farms are already certified, and 38 farms are in the ASC certification assessment process. The Council is an independent non-profit organization. The purpose of the organization is to move the entire industry in the direction of sustainability. 150 performance indicators are used to certify aquaculture businesses.
Other areas of improvement include managing disease among the salmon, reducing the environmental impact of salmon farming, developing sustainable feed sources, and being more transparent as an industry. Transparency came to fruition for GSI in 2015 with the first annual Sustainability Report. Visit this site to learn more and understand the urgent need for sustainable food resources. The emerging crisis will affect everyone on the planet so it is not too early to prepare.