The Certification to Look for When Buying Farmed Salmon

Many people worldwide have discovered just how delicious and healthful farmed salmon can be. In addition to being full of nutrition and substances that support human health, salmon is an especially rich and flavorful source of protein.

Salmon can also be raised in ways that makes it an especially responsible choice in environmental terms. As a visit to https://globalsalmoninitiative.org/en/sustainability-report/asc-certification/ will reveal, salmon producers worldwide have come together to coordinate their related efforts. Seeking out salmon that bears a certification from the Aquatic Stewardship Council, or ASC, is an excellent way for consumers to be sure of supporting this important shared commitment.

A Comprehensive Collection of Salmon Farming Best Practices

The ASC certification is one of the most demanding and thorough of its kind to be found anywhere in the broader industry. Producers who meet the standards must demonstrate compliance with regard to their avoidance, use, management, or oversight of:

Antibiotics. Researchers have for many years been warning about the overuse of antibiotics in many types of farming and livestock raising. The excessive use of antibiotics can encourage the development of resistant strains of bacteria for which there might someday be no effective means of control. Antibiotics can also find their way into the systems of those who consume products that are raised using them. As a result, the ASC insists that salmon producers who seek its certification must forsake the use of antibiotics entirely.

Pesticides. Raising salmon in close quarters can make it easier for pests of various kinds to establish themselves and proliferate. Some salmon producers have, in the past, resorted to the use of dangerous pesticides when confronted with such problems. ASC certified salmon farming operations, on the other hand, must use other means to keep their output healthy and free of parasites and other pests.

Security. Farmed salmon that escape confinement and end up in the wild can disrupt their local ecosystems. Once again, the ASC sign means that the salmon producer in question has abided by all the related best practices to ensure that this will never become an issue.

Water quality. As with other types of aquaculture, poorly managed salmon farms can negatively impact the quality of the surrounding water. ASC certified producers commit to doing everything possible to prevent this problem.

Buying Farmed Salmon with Confidence

As those who visit GSI to learn more will see, there are a number of other important ways by which such responsible producers stand out from the rest. Looking for the ASC sign and choosing to support sustainable salmon farms is a sure way of encouraging such positive takes on the industry.