The Australian blue mussel producer Kinkawooka Shellfish has successfully passed the Friend of the Sea sustainability audit and its products display now the international ecolabel.
Kinkawooka harvests wild spat, which is plentiful in this area, utilising low density mussel farming techniques. The open farming system has no impact on the countryside. Annual benthic video transect monitoring and reports are required for each lease, as well as an analysis of data, to ensure that there are no impacts on the ecosystem and no cumulative impacts from ropes of mussels on the benthic ecosystem.
At the processing facility, there is no waste from the harvesting and processing of mussels with any damaged or unsuitable mussels being segregated during the various inspection points and then transferred to a crusher, where it is sealed into burley packages. Additionally, the company recycles plastic, cardboard and other waste into special recycle cages and bins kept on site. Only biodegradable chemicals are used and Kinkawooka Mussels only use environmentally-friendly antifoulants.
The company will be appointing an external consultant to calculate the company’s Carbon Footprint per unit of product for the 2011-2012 financial year.
Established in 1976, and located in Port Lincoln, South Australia, Kinkawooka Shellfish is an integrated seafood growing, catching and processing company, owned and operated by the Puglisi family, fifth generation fisherman with a rich heritage of producing seafood.
Andrew Puglisi commented on the Friend of the Sea certification: “The label has international recognition and has highlighted the fact that mussels can be a valuable source of proteins at very low if not beneficial environmental impact”.
