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Stolt Sea Farm’s Commitment to Responsible Turbot Farming
“Certification is not the end goal, it is a tool that allows us to focus on doing things right and keeping the house in order.” – Rubén Faraldo, Stolt Sea Farm
That’s how clearly Rubén Faraldo, Director of the Fish Division at Stolt Sea Farm, puts it. The company has just received certification for its entire turbot production under the strictest ASC standards. Stolt operates nine farms in total, one in Norway and the rest along the northern Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal.
The waters in the north of the Iberian Peninsula offer ideal quality and temperature conditions for farming turbot. That’s why the turbot industry began in Galicia in the 1980s, where the Norwegian-based company Stolt Sea Farm continues to operate “with great robustness,” as Faraldo notes. So much so that they coexist with Galicia’s first marine reserve, Lira – Carnota, declared in 2007, decades after Stolt established operations in the area.
“Our relationship with the fishermen’s guilds is very positive, and we support each other whenever the opportunity arises. This also reinforces the message that fishing and aquaculture are complementary and very important activities to provide consumers with high-quality nutritional protein,” explains Carlos Tavares, Sustainability Manager at the company.
A relationship that extends to all territories where they operate: “We put all our effort into maintaining a collaborative relationship with neighbours, aiming to build a shared future together.”
A Day at Stolt Sea Farm’s Turbot Farm
Rubén Faraldo is clear on this matter: “The priority, at all times, is to ensure that animal welfare is properly maintained—for their sake and for the quality of the product we want to offer.”
To achieve this, they rely on professional and committed teams to care for all aspects of the turbot’s life cycle: from selecting the best broodstock to maintaining water quality and proper feeding of the fry, as well as disease prevention. A turbot may spend up to three years on the farm, so ensuring its wellbeing is both an investment and an obligation.
“The fry rearing stage is highly technical. The larvae are born at a very basic development level and any factor can pose a threat,” stresses Faraldo. To promote fry welfare at this stage, Stolt Sea Farm cultivates microalgae onsite because “larvae feel more relaxed in a microalgae-rich environment and can see the zooplankton prey better, which serve as their food.”
The standards are extremely high; every parameter must be right to succeed in farming.
Science-Based Aquaculture
Responsible aquaculture is the answer to feeding a growing population with quality food without exceeding the planet’s limits and while respecting the welfare of both people and animals. That’s why you can’t talk about aquaculture without talking about science—and innovation.
At Stolt Sea Farm, they have a long history of collaboration with various universities and technology centres to develop innovative projects. These include productivity improvements at all farming stages, cutting-edge research in productive genetics, disease prevention through new vaccine formulations, development of more sustainable feed formulas, and the promotion of species welfare during cultivation. Their collaborations span not only the Galician academic ecosystem but also institutions in Portugal, France, Norway, and Denmark.
We need to keep working with universities and research centres to gain knowledge, make progress, and close scientific gaps. Science is the foundation of the farming process.
A Nutritious and Future-Oriented Choice
As if choosing ASC certified turbot from Stolt Sea Farm for being the food of the future weren’t enough, there are more reasons: “Besides being delicious, our turbot is very nutritious, rich in protein, a source of phosphorus, and especially high in vitamin B12. It has a firm texture and an appealing white colour that makes it versatile for various dishes. Furthermore, the International Taste Institute (ITI) rated our fresh and frozen turbot as exceptional,” concludes Manuela Gómez, Head of Marketing and Business Development.
ASC Certification as a Tool, Not an End
This commitment has been recognised by independent auditors, who confirmed that all nine turbot farms—every part of their production—can bear the ASC label, the highest standard of responsible aquaculture.
“Certification is not an end goal, it is a tool that allows us to focus on doing things right and keeping the house in order,” says Faraldo.
For Tavares, it reinforces their message that their product is raised responsibly, with respect for the environment and local communities. “It helps us communicate and independently validate all the effort we make in this regard,” he concludes.
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