Australian Rural & Regional News asked some further questions of Duncan Leadbitter, Australian head of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, set out below the release.

Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Media Release, 24 March 2023

The annual Sustainable Seafood Awards held by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council were held today at Melbourne Zoo, showcasing the Aussie heroes of responsible seafood farming and sustainable fishing practices in Australia. As we approach Sustainable Seafood Week (27 March – 3rd April) and Easter (7-9 April), it’s more important than ever to keep responsible seafood eating top of mind.

The winners were a fantastic mix of organisations and individuals who have made significant contributions to responsible aquaculture, from retailers to producers and even an inspiring young person in the industry.

Pacific Reef Tigers, an ASC-certified prawn farm near Ayr in north Queensland, took home the ASC Best Responsible Producer Award for their innovative water quality control system named RegenAqua™ 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 next standout star was Yumbah, which took home the ASC Above and Beyond Award for its Indigenous engagement and measures to reduce energy use, packaging, and plastics. Yumbah was also highly commended in the ASC Best Responsible Producer Award category for its integrated approach to managing and communicating environmental responsibilities.

Caleb Trenberth, Propagation Manager at Yumbah was also highly commended for the ASC Young Person in Aquaculture Award.  He is responsible for propagating six million abalone each year to supply both the Yumbah Port Lincoln (South Australia) and Narrawong (Victoria) farms.

Yumbah is Australia’s leading sustainable and responsible abalone farming company, with several ASC-certified abalone farms across South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, including Port Lincoln, Kangaroo Island, Narrawong, and Bicheno.

Taking home the ASC Best Retailer Award was ALDI Australia, which was recognised for its overall approach to responsible reporting and policies. Wollongong seafood store Harley and Johns was highly recommended for the same award.

In addition, ALDI Australia’s Specially Selected smoked rainbow trout fillets have won the ASC Best Product Award. Made from responsibly farmed rainbow trout, these tinned fillets are expertly smoked to create a rich, smoky flavour. This award is a testament to ALDI’s commitment to providing high-quality and sustainable certified seafood options to its customers.

The KB Food Company won the ASC Best New Product category with their innovative product, Fish Creatures. This playful and educational product is specifically designed to engage children in the world of seafood and teach them about responsible and sustainable fishing practices. Featuring different types of seafood, such as fish fingers or nuggets shaped into fun animal or creature forms, make them more appealing and enjoyable for children to eat, helping to inspire the next generation of responsible seafood lovers.

The ASC Young Person in Aquaculture Award went to Jody Mulholland from Proserpine, Qld, an employee of Tassal who has made incredible strides in enhancing sustainability management at Tassal’s ASC-certified Proserpine Prawn farm. Tassal was also highly commended in the ASC Above and Beyond Award category for their efforts to reduce greenhouse gases at their ASC-certified salmon farms in southeastern Tasmania.  A shift to electric pumps has resulted in reductions in noise and a million litres of diesel.

And last but not least, Tasmanian, Hobart-based seafood supplier and restaurant owner Mures was acknowledged for their ongoing commitment to responsible aquaculture and making information about responsible aquaculture production available to consumers in both their retail and food service outlets, winning the Aquaculture Champion 2023 Award.

Duncan Leadbitter, Australian head of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, said: “Not only do we want to recognize the aquaculture farms that are located in some of the most beautiful parts of the country, but we are also wholeheartedly impressed by the overall supply chain that has taken the extra step to ensure our seafood is responsibly sourced.  With aquaculture being a growth industry in rural Australia it is very rewarding to see growing opportunities for young people to have access to challenging and rewarding careers in the Australian seafood industry. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone working hard to make responsible seafood a reality in Australia!”

Award Winner + Highly Commended Quotes

Eco Aquaculture Australia (Pacific Reef Tigers) 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 CEO David Wood said: “Yumbah understands that responsible farming is fundamental to a sustainable future and to earning the trust of our customers and communities.  ASC accreditation is a mark of that trust which enables these customers and communities to share the joy of shellfish with confidence that we are farming for current and future generations.”

ALDI Australia Corporate Responsibility Director, Daniel Baker said: “We are proud to have received these awards that recognise our commitments towards sourcing and promoting sustainable fish and seafood options.

“It is fantastic to receive recognition from both the Marine and Aquaculture Stewardship Councils for our responsible fish and seafood sourcing. To be awarded the Best Sustainable Seafood Supermarket Award as well as the  Best Retailer award reflects the effort and dedication of our team towards supplying the highest quality products while ensuring we act sustainably and responsibly across our entire supply chain.” 

“All private label ALDI products in our seafood range are responsibly sourced and we are delighted to continue our work closely with industry bodies including the Marine and Aquaculture Stewardship Councils, together we are ensuring that our products meet standards for sustainable fishing.” 

KB Food Company, Chief Executive Officer Tim Storey said:  “We are excited and honoured to receive the award for ASC New Product of the year.  It is a great testament to the direction of the business and the work put in by the whole team. We continue to deliver more sustainable products to the market showing our commitment to seafood sustainability.”

Tassal Managing Director and CEO, Mark Ryan said:  “At Tassal our purpose is ‘sustainably feeding tomorrow’. Our people, through their actions, bring this to life.  We are thrilled for the second consecutive year for this to be recognised at the Sustainable Seafood Awards.  Huge congratulations to Jody on winning the Young Person in Aquaculture Award.  This award is well deserved by Jodi who continues to make incredible strides in sustainability management at our Proserpine Farm.  The future is bright! 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.”

Tassal Proserpine Prawn Farm Qld employee, Jody Mulholland said: “I am so honoured to win this award and cannot thank Tassal enough for the opportunities they have given me so far.  I am grateful to have a career that I find so enjoyable and exciting whilst also being so rewarding. I love working in an industry that supports my passion for the ocean and allows me to continuously grow.  The aquaculture industry is a diverse field that is constantly evolving.  My hope is that more young people will join us to help sustainably feed tomorrow.” 

Mures Directors, Will & Judy Mure said: “Mures has always been strong advocates and supported sustainable, science-based management of our aquatic resources.  We are very proud to have received this award from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council which reinforces our strong commitment and continual promotion of sustainable aquaculture practices.” 

Harley and Johns owner, Grant Logue said: “It is a great honour to receive Highly Commended for ASC Best Retailer Award. We have an important role in helping to educate our customers and the wider community on the importance of responsible fish farming to ensure food supply and ease the dependency of wild catch seafood for future generations.”

Award Winners by Location

National

• ALDI Australia, winner ASC Best Responsible Retailer Award + Specially Selected smoked rainbow trout fillets /ASC winner Best Responsible Seafood  Product Award.

NSW

• Wollongong,  Harley and Johns seafood store –  highly commended Best Responsible Retailer Award.

Qld

• Proserpine, Jody Mullholand – winner ASC Young Person in Aquaculture Award – Tassal Proserpine Prawn Farm.
• Ayr in north Queensland, Pacific Reef Tigers, – winner of ASC Best Responsible Producer Award.

Vic

• Narrawong Yumbah farm, winner of  ASC Above and Beyond Award + highly commended ASC Best Responsible Producer Award.
• Mulgrave Melbourne, Head Office – KB Food Company – winner ASC Best New Product, Sea Creatures, CEO Tim Storey also from here.

Tas

• Hobart, Mures – winner Aquaculture Champion 2023 Award.
• Yumbah- Bicheno farm, winner ASC Above and Beyond Award + highly commended ASC Best Responsible Producer Award.
• Tassal – highly commended in the Above and Beyond award – Tassal has ASC-certified farms in southeastern Tasmania.

SA

• Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island Yumbah farms, winner ASC Above and Beyond Award + highly commended ASC Best Responsible Producer Award + Port Lincoln, Caleb Trenberth,  highly commended ASC Young Person in Aquaculture Award.

Questions from Australian Rural & Regional News

Australian Rural & Regional News: “Responsible” farming and sourcing and “sustainable” seafood are big concepts.  What do you mean by these terms? What are the criteria against which you judge organisations and people in the industry?

Duncan Leadbitter, Australian head of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council: For fisheries and aquaculture the starting point is the UN FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (which includes aquaculture).

The Code was the product of several years of discussion and negotiation between fishing nations in the early 1990s and sets out broad level guidance. The Code was then used by those that created the ASC Standards to provide a more focused and detailed system for evaluating what is best practice. These standards were created by groups of mixed scientists, industry and NGOs.

For the ASC Standards there is also a lot more attention to the social aspects of aquaculture and so the criteria include both social and environmental aspects.

As seafood is the most globally traded animal protein, the use of international guidance helps those in the trade as both buyers and sellers can be assured that there is a common basis for assessments.

This does not mean that local production methods are ignored. The ASC Standards allow for alternative approaches where it can be demonstrated that the general intent of the Standard is being achieved but by a different pathway.

ARR.News: How have participating organisations and people been assessed against these criteria?

Duncan Leadbitter: Farms are assessed by independent certification bodies against the criteria set out in the standards. The ASC is independent and does not interfere in the assessment process. The assessments are publicly available in full detail (except where commercially confidential information is involved).

ARR.News: How many organisations and people were assessed as part of this process? 

Duncan Leadbitter: Globally there are about 2100 certified farms.

ARR.News: Will the winning practices that these acclaimed organisations and people have employed be made known in some way so that others can learn from their experience?

Duncan Leadbitter: All the certificates are available on the ASC website. In addition the ASC has prepared a recent document that evaluates the impact of a move to responsible aquaculture and how responsible production helps achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Copies can be made available on request.

ARR.News: Does responsible seafood sourcing and sustainable practices cost a producer more? 

Duncan Leadbitter: Certification does cost a producer but sustainable practices can save money. For example, shifting to renewable energy sources is increasingly a net cost saving. Better controls over wastewater disposal, especially where there are groups of farms, can save water purification costs and disease management costs.

ARR.News: Does the end product cost the consumer more?

Duncan Leadbitter: In some cases yes and in some cases no. Some producers actively target consumers who are willing to pay more but for general seafood production this is not the case. Sustainable practices should not be seen as an additional cost but simply the cost of doing things correctly. Too often cutting corners offloads costs onto the environment or the wider community who end up paying via other means.

ARR.News: What proportion of Australian producers and organisations would you say do practice responsible sourcing and sustainable practices? 

Duncan Leadbitter: If we use the ASC Standards as the ruler, then only a small proportion. There are many producers who claim to be responsible but self claims are always treated with scepticism by consumers (and many buyers). After all, who advertises their produce as irresponsibly or unsustainably produced?