Marine Harvest on Wednesday released a sustainability report outlining the company’s commitment to minimize the environmental and social effects of aquaculture.
The report is more comprehensive and transparent than a similar report released a year ago. It’s been two years since Pan Fish ASA, Fjord Seafood ASA and Marine Harvest NV merged to form the world’s largest salmon-farming company, with operations in Norway, Scotland, Ireland, the Faeroes, Canada and Chile.
“Sustainability is commonly defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In Marine Harvest we view our efforts to act sustainably not as a choice but as an obligation,” said Marine Harvest CEO Ase Aulie Michelet in the report’s introduction.
“Transparency and an open dialogue is a precondition for progress,” she adds. “In this sustainability report we have for the first time published detailed statistics on our use of antibiotics and energy. We have not only improved our reporting but can show clear operational improvements. Our use of antibiotics has reached very low levels in all farming regions except Chile. In Chile the use of antibiotics is relatively high compared with other regions, but the reduction from 2007 shows that we are on the right track.”
In addition to antibiotic use, the report provides information on fishmeal use in fish feed, salmon escapes and the fight against fish diseases, particularly infectious salmon anemia and sea lice.
The report also lays out the company’s commitment to its employees and social responsibility.
“In 2008 we produced … almost 1.5 billion salmon meals. That is no small achievement in a world where the demand for food, specifically healthy seafood, is growing day by day,” said Michelet. “This report shows our commitment to ensuring that this food production, wherever it is carried out, can also meet future demand for sustainable development.”
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