Friend of the Sea announced that they have recertified Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-tech Co., a leading Chinese producer of caviar and sturgeon from fish farming.
Located in Quzhou, China, at the source of the Qiantang River, the company integrates breeding, farming, processing, and marketing sturgeon for caviar in a land-based set-up. With the recertification, the company can continue to use the Friend of the Sea ecolabel on its products.
“You might think that land-based aquaculture is easy to certify for sustainability. After all, it’s theoretically easier to control all the moving parts of the operation when they’re all rooted on dry land. However, it’s actually quite a lot harder than you might imagine,” said Paolo Bray, director of Friend of the Sea. “Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-tech is a great example of the kind of commitment it takes to produce a great seafood product on land, but do it in a truly sustainable way.”
Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-tech was first certified by Friend of the Sea in 2018. Companies that achieve certification must pass an audit covering a wide range of operational issues.
“These include the location of the site and its environmental impact, management of sustainable aquaculture systems, fattening and feeding practices, use of OGM and growth hormones, waste water management, handling of hazardous substances and more. Energy management is also factored into the assessment, as is preventing diseases and use of drugs in the ecosystem,” Friend of the Sea wrote in a release.
Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-tech entered the caviar market by drawing on its background with the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, which provided technical support for the process.
Photo courtesy of Friend of the Sea.
