Which is healthier, farmed or wild salmon?
Seafood Source, Monday,27 February, 2012
Seafood managers across the country keep hearing this question from their customers. I think farmed salmon is healthier than wild salmon.
The biggest health benefit from salmon comes from DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids. These beneficial oils are found in the fat of the fish. The higher the fat content of the fish, the healthier it is for human consumption.
Most farmed salmon is Atlantic salmon (salmo salar). Atlantic salmon has the 2nd highest fat content of the 6 common salmon species. King salmon has the highest, but only comprises about 1 percent of the wild salmon harvest (although there are excellent farmed king salmon available). The other four species of salmon that are usually wild caught, (coho, sockeye, chum, and pink salmon), have lower fat content than king or Atlantic salmon.
Unless you are eating wild king salmon, and can afford to pay for it, farmed salmon is usually healthier than wild salmon.
I don't worry about the stories of contaminated farmed salmon. The water and diet of farmed salmon are constantly monitored. Most farmed salmon come from pristine areas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says any risk from contaminants in farmed salmon are far outweighed by the many healthy benefits of eating salmon.
We are very fortunate to be able to have this discussion. We have wild salmon and farmed salmon to choose from. We can't say the same about cattle, chicken and hogs.
Maybe the best answer to the question is both. Wild and farmed salmon are healthier choices than most animal protein sources. Maybe we should question those that try to pit farmed salmon vs wild salmon in the first place. What is their agenda?
