“This shows the power of salmon farming.”

Mowi ranked most sustainable protein producer in the world, alongside five other aquaculture companies

Aquaculture companies dominate the latest Coller FAIRR Protein Index, which ranks the world’s largest listed protein producers on sustainability.

Coming out tops is Mowi, the largest producer of Atlantic salmon in the world. It has over 14,000 employees with operations in 25 countries grossing $3.8 billion euros annually.

In Canada, Mowi operates salmon farms on the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, where 600 people produce 45,000 tonnes of sustainable farm-raised Atlantic salmon each year.

Mowi was one of 60 companies assessed by the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index – a critical part of the global food chain, representing the largest listed producers of animal proteins for human consumption.

The Index is the world’s only benchmark dedicated to profiling animal protein producers and showcasing critical gaps and areas of best practice in the sector.

“This is a great recognition of the work we at Mowi do on sustainability and animal welfare. I am extremely proud of the work my colleagues do every day to reduce our footprint and continue improving the way we operate,” said Mowi’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Catarina Martins.

“This shows the power of salmon farming. Aquaculture and salmon farming makes both a responsible investment case and is highly necessary to reduce the climate gas emissions going forward. We simply must produce and eat more seafood,” she said.

Other salmon producers are also ranked high, with six aquaculture companies included in the top ten.

They include Leroy Seafood Group, Bakkafrost, Greig Seafood, Tassal Group Ltd., and SalMar Asa.

Grieg Seafood operates 22 Atlantic Salmon farms sites in British Columbia, producing 23,400 tonnes of salmon annually to North American and Asian markets. This level of production directly employs over 150 people and indirectly supports hundreds of contractors, suppliers, and family-owned businesses in the province, the company said.

In total, fifteen companies in the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index produce aquaculture products. These companies contribute a total of $56 billion in revenues (18% of the total 2018 revenues for all 60 Index companies). They have a market capitalisation of $48 billion (15% of the total).