Wild Over Salmon

When I was grocery shopping the other day, I noticed that some manufacturers of canned salmon are labelling theirs as “wild.” Having a weakness for salmon, especially in sushi, I was intrigued to look up the manufacturer’s website to see why they have added the “wild” label.

I found out that the “wild” label was added after receiving many consumer inquiries whether their product was “wild” or “farmed.” You see, the trouble with farmed salmon is that they are given antibiotics, pesticides and other drugs to keep them healthy. Then their drug-laden feces can seriously pollute the marine environment and the antibiotics given are used to treat human illnesses which contributes to the increase of antibiotic-resistant diseases worldwide.* Another problem is that farmed salmons escape from their cages, sometimes in the thousands, which can pose a real threat to the fragile wild species by taking over their habitats.**

So the next time you feel like having salmon for dinner, ask your grocer or sushi chef if it is wild or farmed. If salmon is a fixed menu item, it is probably farmed, but there are three types of salmon which are not farmed – sockeye, chum, and pink. Also, canned salmon are not farmed because it is too mushy to can. Bon appétit!

* David Suzuki Foundation, “Why You Shouldn’t Eat Farmed Salmon,” http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/PSF_Salmon_Brochure.pdf.

** Bentsen and Thodesen, “Selection and Breeding Programs in Aquaculture,” Springer Netherlands, 2005.