Page 28 - Food&Drink August 2022 magazine

MEAT, FISH & POULTRY
After years of sustainable practice and the backing of celebrity chefs, Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod is still committed to its sustainability principles while building greater consumer awareness. Pippa Haupt writes.
Murray cod: Australia’s “magnificent icon”
IT is a big claim to say your aquaculture operations are the most sustainable in the world, but it is one Ross Anderson, chair of ASX listed Murray Cod Australia stands behind.
Murray Cod Australia is the trading company of Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod, an aquaculture operation based in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Aquna was launched as a rebranding exercise in 2018 and has gained the attention of high-profile chefs like Heston Blumenthal ever since.
With a major focus on sustainability, research projects, and product quality,
The Aquna team is constantly looking at better ways to improve the quality of the fish through water treatment, the use of nets, and what occurs in the farm’s ponds. Feedback from those processes is used to continually improve the quality of the fish, the way they are grown, the fish health, and also the nutritional benefits for end consumers.
Anderson says Aquna Murray Cod is one of the only freshwater fish in the world used to make sashimi.
“The reason for that is we don’t have the microbes in our water system. We have a beautiful clean water system,
to grow tastier fish, without the earthy taste often associated with wild freshwater fish,” Anderson says.
“We have a fairly low fish meal content; our fish meal content can be as low as 15 per cent of a kilo of food, and we have conversion ratios as low as 1.2 kilos of food to produce a kilo of fish flesh,” he says.
“At the moment, some fish farms around the world cop criticism for fish faeces going onto the bottom of the ocean, seals being affected, dolphins getting caught in nets, and the quantity of fish meal going into the feed.
“It’s not terribly sustainable to be taking a kilo of fish meal out of the wild catch ocean to only grow less than a kilo of
farmed fish. The whole reason for farming fish is to save our oceans,” he says.
Aquna has also achieved zero organic waste at its Griffith processing plant, with tonnes of organic waste diverted from landfill through partnerships with recyclers and local farmers.
Similarly, the nutrient rich water from the ponds is used to irrigate crops and pastures located near its operations.
It has also reduced its water usage by half through closer monitoring and water management practices.
“Fish tend naturally to want to school together, meaning they’re happy not having a lot of space. So, what happens is because we’re not using a lot of space and our food efficiency is high, the amount of water that we are using is very, very low,” says Anderson.
The addition of solar panel systems to infrastructure has helped achieve greater efficiencies, with 50 per cent of power in its Bilbul nursery operations now solar powered. Anderson says it makes sense for the business, both reducing the company’s energy costs and reducing greenhouse gases.
Upgrades to processing plants are also underway, initially hindered by Covid and a wet summer, and a new breeding facility new Mildura is planned, with indoor, light and temperature-controlled facilities increasing out of season breeding and reducing the reliance on natural spring spawning.
“ We want consumers to know what the fish has been fed, how it’s been harvested, how it has been humanely treated until from the day it’s born until the day it hits your dinner plate.”
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Anderson says the biggest challenge is getting consumers on board. It is doing so through a four-pronged campaign.
1COD QUALITY “Everything we do is focused on how we continue to improve
the quality of the fish – how do we handle it? How do we grow it? What do we feed it? How do we look after the water? And from that comes a big focus on innovation,” Anderson says.
free of the microbes that can cause issues with other freshwater fish,” he explains.
The company’s Australian- made system is custom- designed to mimic cod’s natural environment and provide the fish with the right growing conditions.
“Our Murray cod is grown in open ponds, in their native water, using industry-leading, sustainable practices. Our purpose-built systems allow us
Aquna Murray Cod is now stocked in selected supermarkets.
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SUSTAINABILITY
Anderson says Aquna’s farm is probably the most sustainable fish farm in the world.
INNOVATION
The company has multiple projects underway, once is a selective breeding program with the national science body
28 | Food&Drink business | August 2022 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au