The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) released its first-ever Sustainability Report for the Canadian salmon farming sector, highlighting the industry's commitment to delivering the world’s most sustainable, safest and best quality salmon. This report delivers the real goods on the Canadian salmon farming sector’s commitment to sustainability, transparency, and continuous improvement.

The 2024 report covers data from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, marking the beginning of CAIA’s sustainability disclosure journey. Centered around seven national, industry-wide commitments for salmon farming, the report includes benchmark results for the year. It outlines key actions and targets in the seven identified priority areas: fish health, climate change, sustainable feed, food security, food traceability, ocean health, and public reporting.

"Our goal is to be nothing less than the most sustainable animal protein product in the world, and this report is a crucial tool in building that knowledge across Canada," said Timothy J. Kennedy, president and CEO of CAIA. "As the first annual report for the Canadian salmon farming sector's national Performance Commitments, this document is the product of extensive collaboration across the sector."

Key highlights of the 2024 Sustainability Report are:

• Escapes at a historic low demonstrating significant progress in ensuring containment.
• Lowest carbon footprint: Canadian farm-raised salmon has the lowest of all major farmed animal species, reinforcing the industry's commitment to environmental sustainability.
• 100% traceability of Canadian farm-raised salmon ensuring transparency and consumer confidence in the quality and origin of the product.
• A renewed commitment to reduce fish mortality, source 100% sustainable-certified fish feed, reduce stress and fish health and support the health of wild salmon populations.

Aligned with CAIA’s commitment to transparency, the Sustainability Report will be published annually, to provide multi-year performance data in the future. CAIA will continue evaluating the seven commitments using the proficiency scale (emerging, developing, proficient, extending). As the report outlines, the industry is developing in performance tracking, climate change efforts, and ocean health practices, while achieving proficient status in fish health, food security, and public reporting. Our food traceability systems are extending, ensuring full accountability from farm to fork. This report underscores our progress and dedication to advancing sustainability across operations.

"This is just the beginning," added Kennedy. "While we celebrate our achievements, we are acutely aware that there is always more work to be done. With the right regulatory environment and a commitment to innovation, we will continue to advance the sector's performance, responding to challenges and ensuring a healthy, secure, and high-quality Canadian source of food for all Canadians."

Funding for this project has been provided through the AgriAssurance Program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Download the report here. For more information on CAIA’s commitments, actions, and targets, visit the Love Salmon website.