Global Salmon LCA — Phase II: North-East Atlantic & Chile

In Phase I of the project, we successfully developed the methodological framework — determined the functional units of the analysis, drawn the systems boundaries, chosen the impact categories for reporting, conceptualized several ecological and biophysical expansions of the approach, identified a suite of socioeconomic indicators and impact categories for which comparable data exist in all three study regions and in all technologies, and built and calibrated the initial computer models. Preliminary results are proving very informative of differences between farming and capture systems, as well as between different farming processes, feed compositions and technologies.

We launched Phase II of the project in the fall of 2007, applying this framework to the salmon farming systems operating in the North-East Atlantic (Scotland and Norway) and in Chile. To this end, we are discussing the approach and emerging results from the North-East Pacific with research and industry partners in Europe and Chile. We will identify local data sources and needs, understand the local context and considerations, and develop the format for presenting results most useful for local policy interventions and consumer campaigns.

Research partners include the Escuela de Alimentos (School of Food Engineering) of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Valparaiso (PUCV).

As part of our efforts to identify the information products most useful to policy makers, industry, and civil society organization, we convened a workshop at the 2008 Seafood Summit in Barcelona. The objective of this workshop was to solicit advice from the NGO, government and seafood business communities on how to best to translate the results from a multi-year, international research project on seafood production into actionable information.