Aquaculture: Mowi named top animal protein producer, again
Accolades and peer-reviewed science support salmon farmers in British Columbia as politicians parrot the falsehoods of anti-fish farming activists.
By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews
Mowi, the leading salmon farmer in British Columbia, has once again topped a global animal protein producer index, even as Ottawa moves forward with its controversial transition plan to curtail the marine aquaculture sector on Canada’s west coast.
This is the sixth consecutive year Mowi has been named as the Number 1 animal protein producer by the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index – the most detailed assessment of the world’s largest meat, dairy and aquaculture companies.
Rankings for the 60 companies assessed are determined by a risk and opportunity score across critical environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, including greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare, antibiotic use, pollution and food safety.
“Mowi’s relentless pursuit of excellence and sustainable practices has earned us the top spot in the FAIRR rating for the sixth consecutive year, underscoring our vision of Leading the Blue Revolution,” said Mowi’s Chief Sustainability and Technology Officer, Catarina Martins.
“Every day, we are dedicated to producing more healthy and sustainable food from the ocean. This year, we proudly maintained our leading position among the 60 largest global meat, dairy, and aquaculture companies on ten material themes aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. I want to thank every Mowi employee for making this possible,” she said in a statement.
Salmon farmers have consistently produced the most sustainable animal protein in the world, according to the global index that ranks companies in responsible food production.
Mowi is the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon with harvest volumes of 475,000 tonnes in 2023, equivalent to a global market share of approximately 20%.
Another top performer in the Coller FAIRR index over the years is Grieg Seafood, which also has open-net farming operations in British Columbia.
Despite mounting accolades and an extensive body of peer-reviewed science confirming that salmon farming in British Columbia has negligible impact on wild stocks, the Trudeau government has bowed to pressure from anti-aquaculture activists by advancing a transition plan for ocean-based salmon farms in B.C., which includes a proposed ban on the sector beginning in 2029.
These actions have shaken confidence in Canada as a reliable investment destination, leading global aquaculture companies such as Mowi, Grieg Seafood, and Cermaq to rethink their strategies, suspend projects, and shift funds toward more stable regions for aquaculture.
In addition, Canadian taxpayers could face billions in compensation costs if the Trudeau Liberals forge ahead with its “reckless and unrealistic plan” to ban salmon farms in British Columbia’s waters post-2029, warned the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA).
Meanwhile, anti-fish farming activists continue to weaponize a litany of falsehoods and misconceptions to perpetuate the myth that “when salmon farms are removed, wild salmon populations numbers rise.”
Years of continuous data collection on sea lice and wild stocks near salmon farms made public by the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA), show activists twisting the facts to fit their agenda.
Despite the data, some Federal politicians eager for the activist vote, have taken to parroting the alarmist rhetoric of the anti-fish farming lobby, without providing any context or data to back their assertions.
Among them is Laurel Collins the NDP MP for Victoria who recently raised the issue of First Nations’ opposition to ocean-based salmon farming at a Parliamentary hearing.
Showing her bias against the sector, she made no mention that 100 percent of B.C.’s farmed salmon is produced in agreement with Rights Holder First Nations nor the fact that many of the Indigenous leaders who purportedly stand with the activists are themselves involved in mega-projects that pose numerous dangers to wild salmon populations.
Another politician muddying the on-going transition process for the sector in B.C. is Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns, who is known for his anti-salmon farming stance.
In a petition, Johns is calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to implement a policy for the testing of domestic Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) before salmon smolts are stocked into open marine net-pens.
The petition creates a false impression that PRV is unique to farmed salmon, ignoring its natural presence in marine ecosystems. It also ignores government scientific research, which confirms that PRV poses no threat to human health or wild fish populations and has been present in B.C. waters long before salmon farming began on Canada’s west coast.
Johns does not mention in his petition that salmon farmers already screen their smolts to ensure their fish are PRV-free when transferred into ocean farms.
“BC salmon farmers have not stocked fish with PRV into the marine environment for the past six years,” noted Dr. Gary Marty, a veteran fish pathologist, who for the past two decades worked with the Animal Health Centre of BC’s Ministry of Agriculture.
He has described the attempts to mandate PRV testing as being “focused on an imaginary problem with an imaginary disease.”
The Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship, which advocates for Indigenous communities in B.C. that support salmon farming in their traditional territories, stated that much of the criticism directed at their operations overlooks significant advancements in sustainability, technological innovation, and regulatory measures adopted in recent years.
It has released a comprehensive report, to reinforce the socio-economic importance of the sector and stressed that the future of salmon farming in B.C. must be determined by First Nations who want to farm fish in their traditional territories.
The report called Modern Salmon Farming in British Columbia: A Review, is also aimed at closing the knowledge gaps about the industry and counter the campaign of disinformation by anti-salmon farming activists.
“Our future should not be decided by people hundreds or thousands of kilometres away, nor by people who are more concerned about their sport fishing than the actual wild salmon. All of whom have no understanding or accountability regarding the livelihood of Coastal First Nations. …Our approach to modern salmon farming removes the pressure from wild pacific salmon,” said Isaiah Robinson, Deputy Chief Councillor of the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation, which has been farming salmon since the 1980s.
(Image courtesy of Mowi)