Do you eat FARMED salmon??

[ChloroformSdxn]

The big thing here now in the stores is "Sustainable" fish. I noticed today that none of the wild caught fish are labeled as sustainable, only the farmed. Wonder what's up with that?

The sustainable label can be good or bad depending on who it comes from. One of our problems has been that a large org which puts those labels on the fish gets a significant amount of their operating budget from industry. Not always a bad thing, if their recommendations are in line with the rest of the scientific community. And even the questionable certifications are still generally good, there are just a few fisheries that might not be perfect (for example, most people I know don't think we have enough data to say definitively if there is a sustainable Chilean Seabass/toothfish fishery.)

Most consumers though, don't know the ins and outs of fish, and the label doesn't always tell you where it's from. Some fish have several different common names (mahimahi, dorado, dolphinfish, are all the same), and depending on where and how they're fish, could be good or bad. Most restaurants you go to do not know where their fish are from, and could very well be serving you a completely different fish than the one you're buying. It's really hard to make good choices, so the labels are a good start.

As far as salmon being actually wild, well, hatcheries are necessary. Many of the rivers which salmon use traditionally to spawn are compromised (development, pollution, etc.), so the salmon are intercepted, their eggs harvested, and then hatches offsite.

 

[Asherry25]

Ugh....$33 a pound for wild salmon today. I assume we are just out of season?

 

[usd2bmd]

No way. Farmed salmon has colorant added to make it look red like wild salmon naturally is, and I'm pretty sure farmed salmon (and other fish) eat GMO feed.

Wild salmon isn't that expensive, it's about $10/lb right now for Sockeye fillets. The taste is so much better, too!

Not sure where you live, but where I live Farm raised is $10.99/lb. Frozen wild caught salmon is $13.99 for 12oz. I can't afford to eat fresh wild caught salmon. it would eat my entire grocery budget.

 

[sonnyjane]

As a couple of posters mentioned, the reason I'm opposed to farmed salmon isn't purely because it lacks the same nutritional value as wild and is dyed (farmed salmon is usually a greyish color, as has already been mentioned).

Farmed fish produce several times the amount of waste that you'd find in normally dispersed fish populations. This waste trickles down into the area where the pens are affecting native wildlife. Hormones and steroids used by fish farmers also enter the ecosystem. Fish farming is especially tricky when the fish being farmed isn't native to the area. Fish escapes can spread new diseases and cause competition among the wild fish in the area. One of the biggest is the amount of food it takes to feed farmed fish. For example, to produce one pound of farmed salmon, it requires at least 3 pounds of wild fish (in the form of fish meal) to feed them, so often people think they are participating in "sustainable" fish consumption when really they are responsible for the depletion of many, many wild fish just to get a few pounds of their farmed fish. It's believed that farmed salmon near Washington is partially responsible for the resident killer whales in the area being on the brink of extinction (79 left).

There are plenty of resources on this topic if you're interested.

 

[LJSquishy]

Not sure where you live, but where I live Farm raised is $10.99/lb. Frozen wild caught salmon is $13.99 for 12oz. I can't afford to eat fresh wild caught salmon. it would eat my entire grocery budget.

I'm sure prices vary from region to region. I live in Spokane, WA. Both Safeway and Fred Meyer have had wild Sockeye salmon fillets on sale for $10.99/lb off and on over the last several weeks. Other weeks it is closer to $12.99/lb or so I think. Once in a blue moon Costco will sell wild salmon but most of the time they just carry farmed. Costco does carry frozen wild salmon year round for $9-$10/lb in the freezer cases though.

 

[tvguy]

I'm sure prices vary from region to region. I live in Spokane, WA. Both Safeway and Fred Meyer have had wild Sockeye salmon fillets on sale for $10.99/lb off and on over the last several weeks. Other weeks it is closer to $12.99/lb or so I think. Once in a blue moon Costco will sell wild salmon but most of the time they just carry farmed. Costco does carry frozen wild salmon year round for $9-$10/lb in the freezer cases though.

We usually only buy either kind of salmon when it gets below $6 a pound. Wild salmon tends to do that about twice a year, farmed much more frequently. I guess it just depends on how you grew up and your personal preference. A co-worker who just moved here from the midwest where fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive. She is appalled that my boss and I eat canned fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruit and veggies are no big deal to us, but the canned stuff doesn't spoil and it's cheaper too. My boss's dad is a retired strawberry grower, and all she buys are frozen strawberries. She thinks fresh are just too expensive.

 

[Christine]

Where I live, farmed salmon rarely goes below $7.99 lb at any of our grocery stores. Costco carries it every day for $7.99 plus they remove the skin (although I generally like the fatty texture near the skin so I don't mind keeping the skin on). Costco seems to always have wild salmon at around $10.99 per lb. Problem with Costco is that you have to buy this HUGE piece. I've done that but I actually don't like freezing fish as I think it changes the consistency and taste once thawed. The grocery store prices for wild salmon are just kind of shocking. If I was just ONE person, I'd buy a piece weekly. But feeding 4 adults is just too cost prohibitive.

 

[tvguy]

Where I live, farmed salmon rarely goes below $7.99 lb at any of our grocery stores. Costco carries it every day for $7.99 plus they remove the skin (although I generally like the fatty texture near the skin so I don't mind keeping the skin on). Costco seems to always have wild salmon at around $10.99 per lb. Problem with Costco is that you have to buy this HUGE piece. I've done that but I actually don't like freezing fish as I think it changes the consistency and taste once thawed. The grocery store prices for wild salmon are just kind of shocking. If I was just ONE person, I'd buy a piece weekly. But feeding 4 adults is just too cost prohibitive.

Farmed Atlantic was $10.99 today at the store, wild sockeye was $14.99. But Red Snapper was on sale for $4.99 and True Cod $4.99. So of course my wife buys the $35 lobster and crab stuffed salmon roast!

 

[Jeff in BigD]

I love salmon.

I prefer wild salmon, but since farmed raised is a lot easier to come by year-round, I'll take what I can get.

 

[xlxo]

I eat both... whichever is more convenient and affordable pending the season. I love sushi! If you are in Vancouver for an Alaskan cruise, do check out the Sushi restaurants. Some serve all-you-can eat sushi lunches for $15. More for dinner or sashimi.

Found this image on the web... (blue 'n black vs gold 'n white?)

When you compare the two at a supermarket... the wild looks like it's injected with food colouring! I totally agree we should be looking at sustainability.

• wild can be overfished and spawning channels ruined by industry & people
• farmed can leave the river water polluted with fecal material as well as uneaten food. This harms the nearby wild population.
• wild is more lean tasting, but farmed has more fat/flavour. Anyone tried a blind taste test?
• wild is unpredicable each year, farmed is consistently available.