As Sustainable Seafood Week begins, winners from this year’s Sustainable Seafood Awards have been revealed. The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council run the awards to showcase those following responsible seafood farming and sustainable fishing practices.
ASC-certified prawn farm in north Queensland, Eco Aquaculture Australia (Pacific Reef Tigers), took home the ASC Best Responsible Producer Award for its innovative water quality control system that cleans wastewater to a level where it can be reused.
It reduces nutrient pollution to below the global best practice of 5mg/L Nitrogen and 1mg/L Phosphorus and is both carbon neutral and chemical free. This innovation not only reduces the environmental impact of the farm but also increases the efficiency of its operations, the ASC said.
Executive general manager, Dallas Donovan said: “Continuous improvement in sustainable aquaculture production is critical, not because it’s fashionable but because it’s the right thing to do. Use of the RegenAqua, all-natural, water treatment system provides a viable and highly effective option for both fresh and saltwater aquaculture operators to improve wastewater quality and participate in the circular economy.”
Yumbah is Australia’s leading sustainable and responsible abalone farming company, with ASC-certified abalone farms in South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria.
Yumbah received the ASC Above and Beyond Award for its Indigenous engagement and measures to reduce energy use, packaging, and plastics.
It was also highly commended in the ASC Best Responsible Producer Award category for its integrated approach to managing and communicating environmental responsibilities.
Yumba’s propagation manager, Caleb Trenberth, was highly commended for the ASC Young Person in Aquaculture Award. ASC said, “Caleb is responsible for propagating six million abalone each year to supply both the Yumbah Port Lincoln (South Australia) and Narrawong (Victoria) farms.”
The ASC Young Person in Aquaculture Award went to Jody Mulholland from Tassal, who made “incredible strides” to enhance sustainability management at Tassal’s ASC-certified Proserpine Prawn farm.
Tassal managing director and CEO Mark Ryan said, “Huge congratulations to Jody on winning the award, it is well deserved by Jody who continues to make incredible strides in sustainability management at our Proserpine Farm. The future is bright!
Tassal was also highly commended in the ASC Above and Beyond Award category for their efforts to reduce Green House Gases at their ASC-certified salmon farms in southeastern Tasmania. A shift to electric pumps reduced noise and saved a million litres of diesel.
“We love seeing our people shine, but I am also very proud to see Tassal highly commended in the ASC Above and Beyond Award as we continue to benefit the future by reducing greenhouse gasses at our salmon farms in the South-East of Tassie,” Ryan said.
For a list of all the winners and where they are based, visit the ASC website.
