Skuna Bay Salmon, a British Columbia salmon farm operated by Grieg Seafood, has obtained Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, the company announced on Monday.
According to Stewart Hawthorn, the company’s managing director, Skuna Bay is the world’s first salmon producer to be sourcing its fish from multiple farms that have achieved BAP certification.
Last month, Mainstream Canada’s Brent Island farm near Campbell River, British Columbia, became the world’s first salmon farm to earn BAP certification.
Skuna Bay markets its a line of premium salmon, which debuted in November, as “craft raised.” The salmon are farmed in Nookta Bay, located near Skuna Bay off the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
The GAA’s review process involved an audit of Skuna Bay’s social responsibility, food safety, animal welfare and traceability processes and systems and a visit to its farms. In June, the BAP certification standards for salmon farms were completed after a process that lasted more than two years.
“Skuna Bay Salmon are raised by craftsmen farmers who use their judgment, experience and passion to monitor the well-being of their salmon every day. Our salmon are harvested and cleaned by hand so they arrive in the chef’s kitchen pristine, firm and ocean-fresh,” said Hawthorn. “Chefs and diners can see and taste the premium quality of Skuna Bay Salmon. With Best Aquaculture Practices certification, they also have the assurance that it’s raised and harvested responsibly.”
Click here to read an interview with Hawthorn and Dave Mergle, Skuna Bay’s marketing director >
