The world needs more food from the ocean

Our goal, as part of our mission to lead the Blue Revolution, is to sustainably produce more food from the ocean to feed a growing world population.

We believe that producing more food from the ocean is an integral part of dealing with major challenges faced by humanity, such as food security and climate change. Salmon is farmed with a low carbon footprint, space for farming in the ocean is plentiful, and as far as animal protein goes – it’s about as healthy as it gets. By producing food at a sustainable scale, we have every opportunity to position the aquaculture industry in the driver’s seat to tackle global challenges – this is at the very core of our vision of Leading the Blue Revolution.

In 2020, as countries all over the world were forced to introduce tough measures to control the spread of COVID-19, the issues of a stable food supply chain and the environment were thrust into the spotlight.

Mowi staff, along with other companies involved in food production, were designated as key workers so that the food supply chain continued uninterrupted during the pandemic. With changes to our daily working lives and the subsequent reduction of travel, especially by air, wildlife was seen to flourish and noticeable changes in air quality were observed.

If anything, this further strengthened our resolve to push forward with our vision to develop a sustainable ocean economy and we were proud to support two significant initiatives in 2020.

Ocean Action Agenda

The High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) published a new Ocean Action Agenda which identified how countries around the world can accelerate, scale and finance ocean action.

Mowi is part of the Advisory Network of the Ocean Panel which comprises of more than 125 private sector, non-governmental organisations and intergovernmental organisations across 35 countries.

Our Chief Sustainability and Technology Officer, Catarina Martins, contributed to the development of the Ocean Action Agenda and is passionate about its goals:
“It is clear that the ocean can provide more abundant and diverse food than it currently does, thereby playing a bigger role in the global food system. I am both passionate about meeting this global need and about taking a responsible and sustainable approach across our entire global operations to increase production in order to deliver this.”

Mowi supports the food production targets set by the Ocean Action Agenda for 2030, especially that of growing aquaculture sustainably to meet global needs. The work to put in place policies and management frameworks to minimise the environmental impacts of aquaculture, including inefficiencies in the feed supply chain, and enable the acceleration of fed and non-fed aquaculture production that fits local environmental, governance and economic priorities – a stated measure in the Ocean Action Agenda – is already well underway.

Catarina continues: “2020 saw us make huge strides towards sustainability. More than 100 of our sea sites are now certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and we successfully worked with the soy industry in Brazil to achieve a commitment that all their soy is part of a clean supply chain, 100% deforestation and conversion free. There is more to do but our desire to develop a sustainable ocean economy has never been stronger.”

One Ocean Expedition

We are extremely proud to sponsor the One Ocean Expedition. During this decade, declared the ‘Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’ by the United Nations (UN), the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, Norway’s largest and oldest square-rigged sailing ship, will sail over 55 000 nautical miles and visit 36 ports worldwide.

The One Ocean Expedition will raise awareness and share knowledge about the crucial role of the ocean in sustainable development. It will unite young people, scientists and international leaders in building new knowledge about the ocean. The aim is to gain new insights through education, science and technology, and to share this knowledge around the world.

The Statsraad Lehmkuhl will serve as both a sail training ship and a state-of-the-art research vessel. Using advanced equipment, students and scientists will conduct research and monitor the sea throughout the voyage. Specialised study programmes, focusing on sustainability and young leadership, will be held onboard.

The One Ocean Expedition will contribute to fulfilling the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

• Life below water
• Partnership for the goals
• Climate action
• Quality education

Speaking about the One Ocean Expedition, Catarina explains:
“This expedition is a perfect fit with Mowi in so many ways. We have a significant global presence and strive to be a front runner on environmental stewardship and hope our innovation will make a positive impact in the world. This global expedition, which will engage people all over the world, especially young people, will seek to create a better understanding of our ocean, the potential of this natural resource and, crucially, the need to maintain and protect our ocean for future generations to come.”