Wild Salmon Or Farm Raised Salmon

The question is should you choose wild salmon or farm-raised salmon to eat? Well in my opinion, I would chose wild salmon any day over farm-raised salmon. After reading this I am sure you will agree with me.

Background

Fish farming consists of raising fish in enclosures or tanks. For salmon, they start off in fish tanks inland, but about a year later they are transferred to enclosures in inlets or ocean. There they stay till they are harvested some five years later. It has been estimated that nearly half of all fish consumed in the world is now farm raised.

Farming Concerns

Several concerns are arising out of farm raising salmon not just the health concerns they can impose on humans. For example:

It is estimated that it takes five pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of farm salmon. This process depletes the food source for the wild salmon to consume, depleting the wild salmon supply. Farms have begun to substitute more protein than fish meal or fish oil in the feed. This lowers the quantity of omega – 3, Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), available in the individual salmon.
Farm fish have hundred of thousands of salmon confined in a small area. Their feces accumulates on the bottom of the enclosure generating numerous bacteria threatening bottom feeding fish.
Farm raised salmon are usually genetically modified Atlantic salmon who can and have escaped interbreeding with wild salmon.

Human Consumption Concerns

As I have already mentioned, farm raised salmon have less EFAs than the wild salmon because of the feed they are provided. In addition farm raised salmon are fatter than their wild brethren. All a farm feed salmon has to do is swim lazily around for five years. A wild salmon swims for its life and to get food. This makes it a lean, mean fighting machine.

Another concern is farm raised salmon are also known to have high levels of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls). It has been reported that farm salmon can have as 16 times more PCBs than wild salmon. In another report farm salmon has the highest level of PCB than any product consumed by the American people.

Alternatives

As you can see eating farm raised salmon is not the healthiest choice nor does it provide e same nutrients afforded by wild Alaskan salmon. If you are still concerned, then you can get the required nutrients from supplements readily available on the open market.