Cermaq has today presented its sustainability results for 2010. The company is a leader in farming of salmon and trout and production of feed for the same species. Cermaq demonstrates sustainability through good production results based on preventive fish health measures with minor use of medicines and with zero escapes.
CEO, Geir Isaksen, said: "Our basis is sustainable aquaculture; the manner in which we operate should reflect a long-term perspective. The most important thing for Cermaq in 2010 is therefore not the solid profits, where salmon prices contribute significantly, but our excellent operational performance. By presenting and explaining our results we want to contribute to knowledge based debate on important areas for national and global value creation." Examples of the results Cermaq have achieved are:
Zero escapes
Cermaq has a goal of zero escapes, a goal which was reached in 2010. It is vital for the company and for the industry to keep the number of escaped fish to a minimum, as escaped salmon can represent a strain to the wild salmon stocks. By year end 2010, the company had 46.4 million fish in the sea in Chile, Canada and Norway.
Mr Isaksen commented: "I am very pleased and proud that we have reached our goal of zero escapes in 2010. This has been accomplished through a high level of preparedness in terms of technical equipment, maintenance and last but not least through training and a continuous attention throughout our organisation. Our results show that it is possible to prevent escapes from happening."
More efficient use of marine raw materials
The report continues that, as the world population grows our capability of producing healthy food in an efficient way becomes even more important. It is essential that the marine raw materials come from well managed fish stocks, but it is also important that the marine ingredients are used in an efficient manner in food production. Cermaq promotes better use of marine raw materials. In 2010, the use of trimmings and by-products as raw material in fish feed increased to 21 per cent of marine raw materials. There are still huge opportunities to increase the use of this kind of raw material in salmon feed.
Good fish health
The share of fish transferred to sea which dies of diseases before it can be harvested (mortality) is an important indicator to measure fish health. In Cermaq, mortality decreased with more than 32 per cent from 2009 to 2010. At the same time, the need for medication and treatment against disease and sea lice decreased. The use of antibiotics is down 76 per cent from 2009. The use varies from 15g API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) per tonne in Canada to no use at all in Norway. Need for treatment against sea lice was also down in 2010. Preventive measures, strict requirements to smolt quality, vaccination and avoiding stress are essential to secure fish health and animal welfare.
GRI B+ report
Cermaq's sustainability report has been externally audited and approved as a GRI report (Global Reporting Initiative) at a B+ level. In addition to GRI indicators, Cermaq has chosen to report on several customised indicators addressing areas that are specific to our industry and material to our stakeholders. Amongst these are escapes, use of antibiotics, treatment against sea lice and the use of marine raw materials.
