MURRAY COD SUSTAINABILITY STORY SO FAR

Murray Cod sustainability story so far. At Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod, a commitment to sustainability is embedded in their corporate identity, business practices and culture. They want to have a positive impact on people’s plates and the planet. Their business tagline, Life tastes better our way, was crafted to capture what they stand for, which includes finding a better way to deliver food security through sustainable aquaculture.

Here is their sustainability story, so far.

Hatchery

In their hatchery, breeding fish for their aquaculture program are now sourced from their own farm-raised stock. This means they’re self-sufficient – no fish is taken from the wild.

Their contribution to fish restocking programs in the region is significant. They return broodfish to the wild, which goes above and beyond their requirements as permit holders.

Currently, they’re participating in a state government restocking program. They breed and raise the Murray cod fingerlings in their hatchery, which are released into the Murray-Darling Basin. More than one million of their fingerlings have been released into the river system.

They only use organic fertilisers to produce plankton to raise their juvenile fish.

Nursery

Their nursery is becoming more energy efficient with new technology, from generating ongoing savings on electricity usage for aeration to reducing their reliance on power from the grid through continual investment in solar panels.

In 2018 they installed solar panels for renewable energy production at their Bilbul nursery, where their fish are kept in recirculated tanks until they are approximately 100g or 120mm long. Approximately 50 per cent of total nursery energy is currently provided by solar power.

Their team are constantly working on better feeding strategies and have embarked on developing diets that are better suited to maximising growth at the same time as ensuring fish welfare by using a diet designed to better manage disease control and water quality for their fish.

Ponds (grow out farms)

Their land-based production model uses the same irrigation water twice – once through their fish ponds, then for crop irrigation or pastures on farms. As far as they’re aware, they’re the only pond-based aquaculture business in the world using a 100 per cent water recycling system. The nutrients in this recycled water offer a saving on the use of other fertilisers.

Through closer monitoring of their ponds, they have reduced our water use by 50 per cent in the last 12-months.

Their feeding strategy is producing a Feeding Conversion Ratio (FCR) of 1:2:1. This is an exceptional result and means they grow efficient fish, which use the least amount of protein (feed) to produce the most amount of protein.

Processing plant

Their local processing plant where they produce two products – Hot Smoked Aquna Murray Cod and Aquna fillets, aims to produce zero-waste. This is achieved through a partnership with a local organic recycler, who recycles and reuses all fish waste created at the facility.

They are constantly trying to package their product into the most environmentally responsible solution through using bulk freight and where possible, recyclable and returnable containers. They are currently talking to suppliers about using insulated cardboard based alternatives instead of traditional seafood shipping methods.

Social

The Aquna team represents an almost even gender balance of talented men and women. While the agriculture industry is slowly embracing the participation of women in leadership and decision-making roles, they’re proactively recruiting women across the business.

There is no gender gap at Aquna, which sets the foundation for an inclusive workplace.

Community

Their sustainable vision extends to the communities that they operate in. With reports of more than one million fish deaths along a 40-kilometre stretch of the Darling River in early 2019, Aquna joined forces with the community to prevent further fish kills. They donated aerators that were installed on separate properties to force oxygen into the sick river and assist with preventing further fish deaths.

As part of their annual restocking program, Aquna supports several angling groups to assist them with restocking the area.