The Global Aquaculture Alliance congratulates Mainstream Canada for becoming British Columbia’s first salmon-farming company to achieve two-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification.
Mainstream Canada’s Pacific National processing plant in Tofino, British Columbia — located on the west coast of Vancouver Island — recently received BAP certification. Mainstream Canada’s Brent Island farm in British Columbia was the world’s first salmon farm to receive BAP certification in December 2011, and several of the company’s salmon farms have earned BAP certification since then.
“We are very proud of this achievement. It shows our commitment to leading the way in sustainable aquaculture practices on our farms and in our processing facilities,” said Fernando Villarroel, Mainstream Canada’s managing director. “This new processing plant certification shows we are committed to the highest standards in producing salmon for our customers that is fresh, food safe and nutritious.”
The Pacific National processing plant yielded more than 14,000 metric tons of salmon in 2012. Several of Mainstream Canada’s BAP-certified farms supply salmon to this facility.
The Pacific National processing plant produces exclusively fresh, head-on, gutted farmed Atlantic salmon. Almost all of the salmon processed there is premium grade. The majority of the salmon produced at the facility is shipped to customers in the western United States.
Mainstream Canada is one of British Columbia’s largest salmon-farming operations. The company produces approximately 25,000 metric tons (live weight) of farmed Atlantic salmon per year.
About BAP
Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain — farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills — that assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance. For more information on BAP, visit www.gaalliance.org/bap.
Source: Global Aquaculture Alliance
