Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) is the first salmon company in British Columbia — and only the second in the world — to achieve a new level of aquaculture certification. The announcement of four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) status marks the culmination of full certification of the company’s salmon processing plants, farm sites, hatcheries and feed mills, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in early March.

BAP certified status for MHC’s Dalrymple freshwater hatchery in Campbell River, British Columbia, represents the world’s second salmon hatchery to earn BAP certification since new BAP hatchery standards for finfish, crustaceans, and mollusks were completed in September. (Previously, BAP hatchery standards existed only for shrimp.)

“Our four star certification shows our commitment to providing customers the highest quality salmon,” said Katherine Dolmage, MHC’s certification manager. “We expect this four star product to be available in the market in 2016.”

In 2013, MHC became British Columbia’s first salmon company to achieve three-star BAP status, with the certification of its Port Hardy processing plant. In 2012, the first five MHC salmon farm sites earned BAP certification, the same year that Skretting Canada’s two feed mills in British Columbia and New Brunswick attained the distinction.