Norwegian seafood company Marine Harvest has announced its first farms have received sustainability certification from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), the company said this week.
The farms, Tarmvikodden and Buksevika, are in Vest-Agder County in Norway. The certification, according to the company, is expected to be the first of many.
"Marine Harvest is committed to have all our farms ASC-certified within 2020," said Marine Harvest CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog. "This is an important first step, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. As a partner of Global Salmon Initiative, we have a clear goal of producing more seafood for a growing world population while minimizing our environmental footprint."
The company employs more than 10,000 employees in 22 countries worldwide. Aarskog said Marine Harvest is committed to what he describes as a trend in the industry to seek certification.
"We constantly strive to improve," he said. "It is very motivating that 70 percent of the global salmon industry is committed to ASC-certify all salmon production."
