Responsible Aquaculture
The Mediterranean seafood tradition teaches us the importance of staying in balance with nature. Building upon these strong traditions of respect and pride, AVRAMAR’s ethos is to work in harmony with nature, consistently delivering responsibly and sustainably produced fresh farmed fish.
In an increasingly populated world, and one in which wild fisheries are at their maximal limits, aquaculture has emerged as the best approach to ensure a consistent and environmentally responsible supply of quality seafood. It is also the most climate friendly of all farmed animal production.
At AVRAMAR we are proud to be part of the solution. As a leader in Mediterranean aquaculture, we play a pivotal role in facing global challenges by adhering to a business strategy that is committed to using sustainable and responsible aquaculture practices. This commitment is to our customers, our community, and our planet.
Sustainable operations
– a key priority in our Strategic Plan
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Ethical feed sourcing
Enhanced fish welfare
Responsible farming
Reduced environmental impact
Better environmental management
Improved employee wellbeing
We have targeted six principal aspects of our operations that offer opportunities to increase sustainability and improve performance. Achieving tangible improvements in each of these areas will result in positive outcomes for our communities, our fish, and our planet.
Sourcing of raw materials for our feed
Responsible sourcing of fishmeal and fish oil is of paramount importance to our industry. Decreasing our reliance on wild fish inputs is a key part of our long-term strategy, which is assisted by our ongoing R&D initiatives. The fishmeal and fish oil that we do use are strictly sourced from certified stocks only, and never involve endangered species or IUU fisheries.
Improvements in fish welfare
Fish welfare can be enhanced through improved husbandry and the application of advanced technology. We aim to increase overall fish survival by stocking larger, more resilient juveniles and adopting more comprehensive monitoring and intelligence systems to better monitor our stocks. Intensifying our vaccination program will lead to significant health benefits for our fish. Further improvements in fish handling and humane harvesting methods will all lead to advances in our overall fish welfare program.
Responsible farming
All of AVRAMAR’s production facilities are certified by GlobalG.A.P., one of the world’s most recognized farm assurance programs. In addition to this, and to augment our commitment to third-party certification, we are also expanding our Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) accreditation with the intent that more farms across the group will become ASC certified in the coming years. ASC is the gold standard in certification for Sea Bream, Sea Bass and Corvina production.
Reduced environmental impacts
While aquaculture has the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of all farmed animal sectors, we took the progressive initiative to calculate the carbon footprint of our Spanish farms in 2019. These calculations established that 1kg of our fish produces 2.3kg CO2-eq. Armed with this knowledge, we are now in a position to attempt to make this number even lower, playing our part in achieving the targets of the European Green Deal initiative. We are also committed to safeguarding marine biodiversity, both at the local level and globally, through the responsible procurement of fishmeal and fish oil.
Environmental management
Following the concept of the circular economy, we will manage all our waste with the aim of Reducing, Recycling and Reusing, wherever possible. Careful monitoring of environmental parameters, including water quality and benthic sediments, helps us ensure the protection of our surrounding environment.
Wellbeing of employees
Our employees are at the heart of everything we do here at AVRAMAR. We strive to be an employer of choice for our employees, wherever they are, providing the most equitable working conditions, a safety-first culture, and an inclusive working environment for all. By ensuring that our employees thrive, we all thrive.
OUR PROCESS
Our sustainability and responsibility strategy is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on which we base our medium and long-term objectives
Our commitment to sustainability has driven us towards achieving farm certification through globally recognized, international sustainability standards, such as GlobalG.A.P. and Friend of the Sea and, more recently, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). ASC is undoubtedly the most rigorous and demanding of all certifiers and we are proud to have participated as a pilot company for them in the development of their new standard for Sea Bream, Sea Bass and Corvina. With an ethos of continuous improvement, AVRAMAR will consistently endeavor to align our future journey with the objectives of the SDGs, aiming to leave our planet a better place for future generations to come.
OUR INITIATIVES
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Natural Habitat
Quality Control
Waste Management
NATURAL HABITAT
We grow our fish in an environment that replicates their natural habitat as much as possible. Advanced and modern farming techniques entail careful attention to stocking densities, and water quality, as well as ensuring our fish have a healthy, balanced diet and are grown to the highest welfare standards. This attention to detail enables us to consistently deliver the Mediterranean’s freshest most nutritious fish.
Quality Control
Careful attention to detail, from daily analysis of water chemistry, to benthic monitoring of the seabed under our farms, and rigorous scrutiny of every ingredient in our feed recipes – our meticulous consideration of every detail in our farming processes add up to a big picture of responsibility and sustainability.
Waste Management
We manage all of our waste under the concept of the circular economy, by observing the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.