My Journey - Verlasso Salmon

Life is like a book. Some chapters are sad, some are happy and exciting, but if you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter has in store for you.

? story ahead ?

For almost a decade, my professional life has been spent doing what some told me was the impossible. Bring a marine-based net pen salmon out from the dark unsustainable shadows of Chilean aquaculture to be different, to be eco-conscious … to be sustainable. Through the faith and efforts of myself and many, Verlasso was born.

Ten years ago, only wild salmon and those raised on land-based farms achieved the coveted ? “Green” rating. Marine-based net pen salmon farms were rated an automatic “red”. On this journey there were obvious changes that had to happen but the ultimate goal was to get Verlasso Salmon rated by one of the most influential seafood advisory lists in the world - Seafood Watch ??

To do this, many things had to change. Feed ratios had to come down, antibiotic use needed to be under control, better site management, fallowing, worker welfare and much more had to be considered. These collective efforts helped Verlasso become the ??FIRST?? ever ocean raised Atlantic Salmon to achieve the honorable yellow rating by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Once achieved, the building of the brand, the story telling and more times than I can count, the fight on the battle field of misperception took place. I went in with my eyes wide open. I learned, I pivoted,I laughed and I cried tears always knowing along the way that it was not an “if” but a “when” in a world that would see water farmers in the same light that I did. Dedicated and hard working. Finding ways to evolve and to create solutions.

I am sad to end this chapter with Verlasso but very excited to start another! The milestones accomplished with Verlasso have done more than make me proud - they’ve positively impacted the industry as a whole. Excited to see where their journey continues under the guidance of Victoria Parr - and what I hope will be a run for the GREEN!