Musholm is the first aquaculture company in the world to test the Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) framework. They have been selected by Science Based Target's Ocean Hub to be a pilot company, gathering experience to develop guidance for other companies that want to set positive targets for their own nature footprint in the future.
In addition to Musholm, three other international companies in the seafood value chain have been selected. They are Carrefour, Mars Petcare and Bolton Foods - all large international companies. Musholm is the only one of these to farm fish, , making it the first aquaculture company in the world to work with Science Based Targets for Nature.
A production in balance
Musholm farm trout and sells trout and trout roe in Denmark and especially to the European and South East Asian markets.
The trout hatch in freshwater and live in land based fish farms for about 2 years before they are released into Musholm's fish farms in the sea. This way, Musholm's fish farming follows the natural life cycle of trout, where they hatch and live the first few years in freshwater before moving to saltwater in the sea to grow.
Musholm has already certified the majority (75%) of their production according to the ASC standard (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) to ensure socially and environmentally responsible farming.
"We deliver a high-quality product that is in high demand in many parts of the world, and the ASC standard was a natural step for us to document responsible production. The next step is Science Based Tags for Nature, where we are fully committed to developing a framework for how to work with our impact on nature," says Anders Lejbach, fish farm manager at Musholm.
Some of the work that goes into creating the ASC certification can be used as a basis for working with SBTN, but there are many other aspects and data needed for SBTN. Part of that data is available because of the strict environmental regulations applied to Danish fish farming companies
"It is a great advantage that there is already a large amount of data available. What we as advisors are now doing is mapping Musholm's natural footprint in their direct impact on nature with their fish farming and in their indirect impact through purchasing. This provides a good basis for setting goals for nature-positive actions," says Maren Moltke Lyngsgaard, marine biologist and consultant at WSP.
