Farmed versus natural salmon and the quality of the food

November 24, 2003

Hi Chris,

> The most common feed for ... most Salmon sold in the states, is

> soy.

I am not sure of that statement!

While farmed-fish often get some cereal and soy, salmon diets, at

least here, contain much fishmeal. Natural diet of salmon is capelin

(a sardine-sized fish) + curstaceans ( krill + prawns/shrimps). The

crustaceans add the bright pink colour to salmon-flesh. Without

crustean inpuut, farmed salmon diets (cereal+soy+fishmeal) have

not enough colour, hence the pale colour of the flesh unless dyes

are added.

> I read an article that pointed out the differences in the EFA

> levels in Salmon between wild and captive. Very unfortunate what

> is happening there. The article pointed out that since the fish

> are so unhealthy, they are fed a dye that makes the flesh a bright

> pink rather than the dull gray it would be without it. Again, what

> was healthy food prior to the commercial feed lots has now become

> unhealthy. A thought for the day, Chris

I am not so worried about the dyes, but am DEFINITELY worried

about the difference in flesh-quality (and the composition of its fat)

between naturally-fed and commercially-fed salmon.

I am a salmon angler, and eat as much natural salmon as I can

get. However, I rarely eat salmon in restaurants, because 95% of

such salmon are farmed, and I have seen most unwholesome

lesions on several post-mortemed salmon. If the public knew the

horrific mortality rate in salmon cages (20-60% in some cages),

and the types of disease that occur (especially bacterial, viral,

fungal and parasitic) I feel certain that they would NOT eat farmed

salmon. IMO, they are eating the less affected comrades of dead

and dying fish.

Best regards,

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