Huon salmon – a legal performance enhancer?

Tasmanian salmon producers Huon Aquaculture launched a national advertising campaign today that puts a different spin on performance enhancing drugs, suggesting if you’re going to try to enhance your performance, do it naturally. Huon Aquaculture founder Frances Bender said in the wake of the Lance Armstrong saga and numerous incidents in Australian sporting codes the family owned business wanted to turn the issue on its head, using the super food of salmon to do it. “We made a decision around 18 months ago to support cycling within Australia through key sponsorships with two-time World Champion and Olympic medallist Shane Perkins and the Tasmanian based Huon Salmon - Genesys Wealth Advisers Pro Team,” said Mrs Bender. “Given that, we felt to ignore the many issues within the sport was not only naïve but also disrespectful to our customers, so we looked at how we could address it in a way that was uniquely Huon.

“The whole aim of the sponsorship is to link the health benefits of our salmon with enhanced performance, whether you’re a professional or just a weekend warrior, and we think salmon as a natural performance enhancer is just perfect.

“I’m sure there will be people that think this crosses the line but we think it’s honest, up front, a little cheeky and 100 per cent focused on the positive aspects of our fantastic team and the guys in it.” The Huon Salmon - Genesys Wealth Advisers team has a history of producing the very best riders around Australia including Tasmanian hero Richie Porte, who now rides for the biggest cycling team in the world – Team SKY.

The campaign itself features rising Tasmanian star Nathan Earle who, though currently riding with the team, has just signed a two-year deal with Team SKY to follow in the footsteps of good friend Porte.

A campaign website (www.fuelledbyhuonsalmon.com) also invites cyclists from around Australia to ride specific sections of road through a phone application called Strava to get the chance to win a limited edition Avanti road bike, free salmon or the opportunity to ride with Shane Perkins or the team. “Salmon is a recognised super food and we truly believe that it is helping our guys continue to be the very best, not just in Australia but on the world stage as well,” said Mrs Bender. The campaign will run on SBS during live Tour de France broadcasts and also online.