Arctic char

Arctic char feed is traceable and requirements are in place for responsible ingredient sourcing, however, it is a net consumer of protein.

Arctic char are fed on a commercial, pelleted feed that comprises fishmeal, fish oil and vegetable proteins and oils. The ingredients are thought to be traceable and the feed production company requires wild capture proteins and oils to come from certified sources (Marine Stewardship Council and MarinTrust). Although Arctic char are good feed convertors, they still require more wild fish protein than they produce, making them a net consumer of protein.

Any soy products used are also certified as responsible by Roundtable for Responsible Soy, ProTerra or International Sustainability and Carbon Certification.

Arctic char farmed in flow-through tanks in the UK have little environmental impact.

Flow-through tanks filter the water before returning it to the source supply and therefore local freshwater supply is not depleted. Due to the nature of the tanks, there is also limited habitat alteration. Arctic char juveniles are hatchery based and as there are no adjacent wild populations of Arctic char and therefore, no spread of disease or parasites. Production has had no known escape events where escapees have survived in the wild.

Although chemicals may be used in production, these are thought to have little environmental impact and do not include the use of antibiotics. Consent is needed for the discharge of effluents and environmental impact assessment includes the monitoring of effluent loads in the environment.

Local legislation allows for the lethal control of predators in this area.

There are practices in place to ensure both fish welfare and humane slaughter.

This assessment scores well for management measures but would benefit from 3rd party certification.

Aquaculture policy in the UK is a devolved matter, with the separate administrations of Wales, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland responsible for its collective oversight. Aquaculture in England is not yet included in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and MCS would like to see this included in the next RBMPs (produced every 7 years).

In the UK, there is regulatory framework in place to address the environmental impacts of aquaculture. This includes the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Birds Directive 2009/147/EC, which form the cornerstones of the EU’s nature conservation policy and protect valuable habitats and species. There is also regulation in place to cover the use of land and water resources, discharges including effluents and their impacts, biosecurity and disease management. These regulations are thought to be fully effective.

Arctic char in the UK are not farmed to 3rd party certifications standards.