Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing-related Issues & News => Topic started by: alwaysfishn on April 23, 2010, 11:43:25 AM
-
http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=4294990593 (http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=4294990593)
By SeafoodSource staff
22 April, 2010 - Overwaitea Food Group (OFG) is offering salmon raised in a land-based, closed-containment farm — the first Canadian retailer to do so on a large scale.
In a press release posted by SeaChoice, OFG said on Wednesday that it is now selling farmed coho salmon from Aquaseed, a Washington state-based operation that employs a land-based, closed-containment system. The salmon is marketed under the SweetSpring brand.
Last June, OFG and SeaChoice formed a partnership in which the environmental NGO will help the British Columbia-based retailer develop and implement a sustainable seafood purchasing policy. SeaChoices’s seafood-buying guide, Canada’s Seafood Guide, categories species as “best choice,” “some concerns” and “avoid” according to whether they’re caught or farmed in an environmentally responsible manner, similar to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guide.
In January, the Monterey Bay Aquarium upgraded coho salmon raised in closed-containment farm to “best choice” — the first time the aquarium has categorized farmed salmon as such. According to SeaChoice, closed-containment systems are more environmentally friendly than ocean net pens because fish waste, escapes and the spread of disease and parasites are much better controlled.
“For years, conservation groups and scientists have promoted closed-containment salmon farming as a means of protecting wild salmon and the marine environments they depend on,” said Shauna Mackinnon, markets campaign coordinator for Living Oceans Society and a SeaChoice representative. “OFG’s announcement is helping chart a path forward for sustainable aquaculture by bringing it to a broad consumer market.”
OFG operates 124 stores in western Canada under the Overwaitea Foods, Save-On-Foods, Urban Fare, Cooper's Foods, PriceSmart Foods and Bulkley Valley Wholesale banners.
-
Great news! Hopefully more grocery stores will follow suit.
-
http://www.sweetspringsalmon.com/
-
Wow, definately a step in the right direction.
Sure would be nice to see this catch on and see more and more retailers make a concious effort to only purchase closed containment raised salmon rather than open ocean pen raised.
-
Two thumbs up
-
Thanks for the link Chris! The NBC video is pretty good.
-
This is a golden opportunity to promote this to those who buy fish to start buying their fish only from Overwaitea stores.
If a swing towards this can be made here then other stores will follow and only that can doom the farming in open pens.
Good news.
-
Does it taste as bland and fatty as the regular farmed salmon?
-
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Greenpeace+gives+just+grocer+passing+grade/3105820/story.html
-
Good news! I hope companies in B.C. can also be forced to follow suit... That could mean the slow down or even the end of "Fish Lice" I think... From what I hear, the lice also thrive and multiply in the droppings under the salmon pens. This would probably put end to such a huge fry killings by lice. Look at all the wild fish we would save!
It may be dificult to get other fish farms to follow suit as it is probably costly venture to re-locate pens on land..? However, I think that is the right move. I'm sure a lot of guys would love to see that hapen. I know I'm for it...
Just my two cents...
MrGrey1