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Doing things differently.

Doing things differently.

Farm-raised
Fundamentals

Organic
NO GMOs
NO antibiotics
Natural diet sources
from FAO-compliant fisheries
Low-density environment
(more than twice the room for fish to move and grow than a conventional farm environment)
Organic
NO GMOs
NO Antibiotics
Natural diet sources
from FAO-compliant fisheries
Low-density environment
(more than twice the room for fish to move and grow than a conventional farm environment)

We are different

Creative Salmon originally followed more traditional and widely-used salmon farming techniques. But in 1995 we started doing things differently.

Creative Salmon started trialing pens without antibiotics. The effort proved successful and so the shift away from antibiotics continued. We have not treated our market fish with antibiotics since 2001. Around 1995 the company also started its Environmental Monitoring Program, which helped set the tempo for our overall environmental accountability.

Creative Salmon’s long-time commitment to natural practices and dedication to quality achieved a new level of recognition in December 2013 when the company achieved organic certification under the standard set out by the Canadian General Standards Board.

Years of effort pursuing natural, organic processes helped Creative become the first salmon farming company in North American to achieve Canadian organic certification.

Certified Organic by Pro-Cert

From Egg to Plate

At Creative Salmon, we operate our own brood stock program. Eggs, fry and smolts are raised at our own hatchery, Sea Spring, located about 4.5 hours from Tofino on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The fish spend 7 to 12 months in the hatchery. When they are ready, the smolts are carefully transported to our ocean pens.

At Creative Salmon, we operate our own brood stock program. Eggs, fry and smolts are raised at our own hatchery, Sea Spring, located about 4.5 hours from Tofino on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The fish spend 7 to 12 months in the hatchery. When they are ready, the smolts are carefully transported to our ocean pens.

It takes about another 16 months for the salmon to reach harvest size. Depending on the season and demand, we harvest our fish up to two or three times a week.

It takes about another 16 months for the salmon to reach harvest size. Depending on the season and demand, we harvest our fish up to two or three times a week.

The fish are pumped aboard a harvest vessel, humanely stunned, and chilled in circulating slush ice and taken to the organically certified processing plant right on the dock in Tofino (about an hour by boat).

The fish are pumped aboard a harvest vessel, humanely stunned, and chilled in circulating slush ice and taken to the organically certified processing plant right on the dock in Tofino (about an hour by boat).

The primary processing happens right there, in a government certified plant owned and operated by Lions Gate Fisheries. A skilled crew processes the fish and grades them for quality and size, all by hand, and then packs them on ice.

The primary processing happens right there, in a government certified plant owned and operated by Lions Gate Fisheries. A skilled crew processes the fish and grades them for quality and size, all by hand, and then packs them on ice.

Temperature controlled trucks leave Tofino in the afternoon of every processing day and reach the BC mainland by evening. The fish are unloaded early the following morning at Lions Gate Fisheries' organically certified Delta facility, and from there they are distributed to our customers around the world.

Temperature controlled trucks leave Tofino in the afternoon of every processing day and reach the BC mainland by evening. The fish are unloaded early the following morning at Lions Gate Fisheries’ organically certified Delta facility, and from there they are distributed to our customers around the world.