Salmon Evolution achieves ASC certification

Land-based fish farmer salmon Salmon Evolution ASA has achieved Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification for its north Norwegian facility at Indre Harøy. The company described the award as a “significant achievement towards responsible and sustainable salmon production”. It says the certification was achieved after only 18 months of operation at the facility. Salmon Evolution CEO Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen said: “ASC is globally renowned for its stringent aquaculture standards focused on environmental sustainability and social responsibility. "Our ASC certification is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team at Salmon Evolution. We are immensely proud of this achievement, which reaffirms our commitment to sustainability, innovation, and production of premium quality salmon.” He added: “Salmon Evolution is currently on the verge of significantly increasing its harvest volumes. The ASC certification plays an important part of the Company's commercial strategy, both in terms of market access and to support strong price realization.” The award caps an eventful year for Salmon Evolution. In April it successfully raised over half a billion kroner (around £40m) to help fund the second stage of its project. Contracts for phase two were awarded two months later But in during the summer it was affected by amoebic gill disease (AGD) issues which it managed to overcome using freshwater treatment. Last month the company reported that it was achieving strong biological results at its Indre Harøy site. Third quarter production reached 1,290 tonnes  and was approaching a quarterly run rate of up to 1,700 tonnes by the end of September.