Eating Farm Raised Salmon vs. Wild Salmon

FARMED vs. WILD SALMON

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Should I eat farm-raised salmon or wild salmon?

Fish has grown increasingly popular as a source of protein for American consumers, and salmon is particularly in demand. Salmon is a fatty fish with a great deal of umami, and can satisfy the palate of even the most dedicated red meat eater. From a health standpoint, salmon is a coldwater fish very high in Omega-3 fatty acids. The American diet is believed to be too high in Omega-6 fatty acids, which should be in balance with the types of heart-protective Omega-3 fats available in sources such as fish. "The past decade has shown that these fatty acids may also strengthen the immune system and eyesight, and even improve mental health. These pluses have helped inspire Americans to more than triple their consumption of fresh and frozen salmon in the last 15 years, from 50,000 metric tons in 1990 to 180,000 in 2004" (Dobbs 2008:2). Fish is also relatively low in calories and extremely high in protein, which is of increasing concern given America's obesity epidemic. But this demand for salmon has led to over-fishing.

Farmed salmon has been touted as the answer to the increasing demand for fish coupled with the decreased supply of popular fish for consumption in the wild. However, there is a great deal of debate about the question as to whether farmed salmon as 'good' as wild salmon. There is no doubt that the diet of a farmed fish is fundamentally different than that of a wild-caught fish. "Here in its pen your salmon fattens up on fish pellets. The pellets contain fish meal, fish oil, perhaps grains, and invariably an additive to pinken the fish's flesh -- usually astaxanthin, a carotenoid derived from commercially-grown red yeast or algae" (Dobbs 2008:5). The diets of wild fish, in contrast "consist of other fish, mollusks, and lots of krill and other planktonic crustacea that have feasted on red algae. This diet turns his flesh pink and rich in omega-3 fatty acids" in a natural fashion (Dobbs 2008:4). Wild salmon must famously swim upstream to spawn, which leaves them naturally leaner than their farmed counterparts. Regarding farmed fish: "given bountiful food and little work, your fish grows apace. When it's a couple of years old and a couple of feet long and weighs 8 or 10 pounds it is netted, killed and packaged, iced and shipped" (Dobbs 2008:5).

Farmed fish is cheaper because from the perspective of the farmer (versus the fisherman) the availability of the product is more secure. Also, from the perspective of the consumer, the flavor is more variable in wild salmon. "Young Pacific chum, for instance, generally aren't as fatty and tasty as Atlantics, while sockeye and chinooks with long or arduous spawning runs offer extraordinary flavor" (Dobbs 2008:6). Wild fish is more consistently available and American consumers are used to having 'what they want, when they want.' "Eating a fresh wild salmon means eating it in summer or fall" and often paying a higher price (Dobbs 2008: 7)

However, there are serious health concerns regarding the consumption of farmed salmon -- and it is health reasons that consumers often select fish over beef. Because they get less aerobic activity, the fat content and thus the calories of farmed salmon are higher than wild salmon. The FDA and a 1988-1990 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) independently confirmed that "wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon" (Is there any nutritional difference, 2012, The World's Healthiest Foods). Some consumers, of course, may like the taste of the higher fat content, but more fat also makes the fish less friendly for dieters.

Other concerns include the higher level of chemicals in farmed salmon. A recent independent study sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trust "analyzed fillets from about 700 farmed and wild salmon produced in eight major farmed salmon producing regions around the world...[the study] found significantly higher concentrations of contaminants in farmed salmon vs. wild. In particular, four substances that have been well studied for their ability to cause cancer -- PCBs, dioxins, dieldrin, and toxaphene -- were consistently and significantly more concentrated in farmed salmon as a group" (Shor 2008). This was attributed to the farmed salmon's diet. In general, the larger the fish and the higher up on the food chain, the more toxins a fish will consume, as they are eating the chemicals within the many smaller fish that they eat. But "while wild salmon eat a diverse buffet from small aquatic organisms like krill to larger fish, farmed salmon are fed a concentrated and high fat mixture of ground up fish and fish oil" which is much higher in toxicity levels (Shor 2008).

According to the EPA's comparison of farmed and wild salmon, "individual contaminant concentrations in farmed and wild salmon" are not in excess of the FDA's recommendations for PCBs and dieldrin. But Hites (2004 et al.) cautions that "FDA action and tolerance levels are not strictly health-based, do not address the health risks of concurrent exposure to more than one contaminant, and do not provide guidance for acceptable levels of toxaphene and dioxins in fish tissue" (Hites 2004:228). Although the difference in toxin levels between a meal of farm-raised salmon vs. A meal of wild-caught salmon may be negligible in isolation, over time the levels can build up in the human body and the long-term effects are not well-known. The Pew researchers found "consumption of farmed Atlantic salmon may pose risks that detract from the beneficial effects of fish consumption" and at minimum EPA limits upon the consumption of farm-raised salmon per week should be observed (Hites 2004:228).