As a leader for over a decade in sustainable aquaculture, Verlasso has made a commitment to protecting the precious biodiversity and ocean ecosystem surrounding our farms in Chile. Our environmental pledge, however, reaches far beyond our waters.
In addition to an agreement with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to achieve 100% Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification for all of its operations, our parent company, AquaChile, is dedicated to sourcing soy – a key ingredient in our salmon feed – from non-deforestation certified areas.
Why Does Deforestation Matter?
Ecologically diverse forests, jungles and rainforests such as the Amazon store an enormous amount of carbon. When these areas are cut down or burned, the carbon is released into the atmosphere, ultimately accelerating climate change.
credit: Getty images
In addition, over 80% of land animals and plants live in forests. When their habitats are destroyed, these species become threatened and endangered. In fact, deforestation is the leading cause of extinction on the planet. Not only that, but because of habitat loss, wildlife are moving ever closer to human habitats, putting extra pressure on numerous species and endangering humans as well.
How Do We Make Sure Our Soy is Being Responsibly Sourced?
- As the owner of sustainable soy bonds, we are able to provide low-interest loans to soy farmers in Brazil who commit to reconditioning their currently underdeveloped fields into soy fields and not clearing forests or grasslands for agricultural use.
- We do not accept any food supply from exclusion zones such as those threatened areas in the Amazon Rainforest.
- We are members of the Round Table on Responsible Soy – a non-profit organization that promotes the growth, production, trade and use of responsible soy.
Sourcing soy from non-deforested supply chains is yet another reason we chose to develop our own proprietary feed. We can much more effectively control the quality of our salmon feed by producing it ourselves, and can then pivot our model when necessary for more sustainable options.
For example, we now include natural algal oil in our feed, which eliminates the need for tons of forage fish. And our feed conversion ratio is less than 1:1, which means it takes less than one pound of feed to grow one pound of fish. We also never use preventative antibiotics, or any growth hormones in our salmon.
At Verlasso, we are proud to be among those in the aquaculture industry furthering our commitment to sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment, while providing our customers with a delicious and nutritious source of protein.
Have questions? Visit our FAQ page or reach out to us directly at verlassosalmon@gmail.com.