Sustainaba-whaa?? All You Need to Know About Sustainable Blue Salmon

Dear Fish Friends,

We have been receiving a number of emails inquiring about the details of Sustainable Blue Atlantic salmon, so we decided to write a blog post answering some FAQs!

HOW ARE THEY RAISED?

Sustainable Blue fish are raised in a 100% closed containment aquaculture facility. The entire operation is on land! Sustainable Blue operates under the belief that land-based aquaculture is the least intrusive solution to the depletion of wild fish stocks globally. The fish are in excellent condition and this is largely because they live in an optimal environment. Not only is the water clear, but Sustainable Blue’s state-of-the-art control systems make sure it mimics the fishes’ preferred conditions.

WHAT DO THEY EAT?

Sustainable Blue’s salmon feed is made up of 100% marine ingredients. Not only that, all of the proteins and fats in the feed are derived from sustainable marine sources. This is a recipe that best mimics a wild salmon’s diet. This translates to a fish that tastes as similar to a wild Atlantic salmon as possible.

WHAT ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS AND CHEMICALS?

Sustainable Blue fish are raised in a 100% disease-free environment. Disease and infections come onto fish farms by way of the sea or when fish are imported from another farm. Sustainable Blue guards against both of these threats. All water brought onto the farm is sterilized using ozone and all salmon eggs are brought in from a disease-free hatchery in Iceland. As a result, Sustainable Blue has no need for the use of antibiotics or other chemicals.

WHAT ABOUT DYE ?

Sustainable Blue uses Panaferd as a pigment (note: it is not a dye). This is a natural source of carotenoids. Without any carotenoids in their diet the salmon would ultimately be a greyish or very pale pink colour, and generally be thought to look unappetizing (though the flavour would be unaffected). This is a naturally occurring colour found in crustaceans and other organisms that wild salmon eat. Because our salmon do not have access to the exact same diet as their wild counterparts, they need another method for acquiring the carotenoid.

WHERE CAN I GET IT?

Have we sold you yet on the benefits of land-raised fish like Sustainable Blue? Are you hankering to give it a taste? Check out these places for some of our regular customers of this ground-breaking fish.

Retailers:

• Afishionado Fishmongers
• The Warehouse Market
• Evan’s Fresh Seafood
• Local Source Market
• Noggins Farm Market – Sante Centre, Coburg, Robie St. Market
• Noggins Farm Market Greenwich
• Stirling Farm Market – Wolfville and Truro
• Rose Bay General Store
• Rosa Rugosa
• The Kiwi Café
• Organic Earth Market
• Dolma Food
• Clearwater Retail

You can also check out some of these awesome restaurants for your Sustainable Blue fix:

• Agricola Street Brasserie
• Flying Apron
• Shuck/Cut
• Drift
• Mateus’ Bistro
• Le Caveau
• The Markland
• Cafe Lunette
• Darya

Here’s a photo of a head on gutted Atlantic Salmon grown at Sustainable Blue’s recirculating aquaculture facility in Centre Burlington, N.S. (Photo taken by Jessica Emin)