Mowi Canada West achieves World’s First Multi-site ASC Certification
CAMPBELL RIVER B.C. – Mowi Canada West is the world’s first aquaculture company to successfully achieve certification under the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) multi-site certification methodology. Independent third-party auditors certified three Klemtu area salmon farms to the ASC Salmon Standard. Mowi Canada West now has 23 salmon farms certified to the ASC Salmon Standard, representing about 75% of the company’s production.
“I am proud of our salmon farmers and certification team for this achievement, which confirms our leading environmental performance” said Dr Diane Morrison, Mowi Canada West Managing Director. “Achieving the ASC certification for our farms demonstrates our commitment to social and environmental sustainability and to transparency in our practices”.
The three sites certified sites through the multi-site methodology are Alexander Inlet, Goat Cove and Kid Bay, these salmon farms are operated in the Traditional Territory of the Kitasoo Xai’Xais First Nation. Mowi and the Kitasoo have had an agreement for salmon farming and processing for the past 20 years.
Certification of multiple sites under the multi-methodology was announced by the ASC in August of 2017, and became available to farmers seeking certification later that year. The final process was developed following two public consultations in 2016 and 2017, and outlined on the ASC website “reflects valuable input from numerous and diverse stakeholder groups, including producers, environmental NGOs and certification and accreditation bodies”.
To achieve certification under the ASC Salmon Standard, farms are audited against 500 separate aspects of the sites performance. It is considered to be the gold standard in environmental certification and was developed through a dialogue process involving Environmental NGOs and researchers. Mowi is working towards the goal of 100 per cent certification to the ASC Standard across all its sites by 2020.