A Tale of Two Fish

As we all know from grocery shopping, in a given aisle there could be many foods from around the country or world. Even though we are an island and seafood surrounds us, the same is true for fish. Atlantic, Pacific, farmed, and wild. Fish from all origins supply our grocery shelves. To know the difference between Atlantic and Pacific is somewhat self-explanatory, but what about the difference between farmed and wild? For the basis of this discussion let's consider salmon, given it's farmed right here in NL.

Unlike wild salmon who go from interior streams to the Pacific Ocean, farmed fish are raised in floating net pens and fed a diet of fish oil, plant based protein and pellets of concentrated nutrients. Farmed salmon are also given carotenoids. For some people this may sound familiar as it's a pigment similar to those in carrots, that tints the flesh of farmed fish to look like the rich red and pink that occur naturally in Pacific species like Coho and sockeye salmon. As there are also some nutritional differences between the two. The main being wild salmon sometimes have more vitamin A and D and lower amounts of omega 3 fat than farmed.

Aside from nutrition, farmed salmon can contain more toxins (PCBs) than wild. It is useful for you to know that all food, including beef, chicken, seafood, grains and vegetables, contain trace levels of PCBs. These chemicals are everywhere in the environment in very, very small amounts. Seafood's, like any other food with a higher oil content will likely have higher levels than some other foods, as oil or fat is where toxins are stored. (As a sideline, because I know what some people will be thinking, before you decide to cut these healthful oils from your diet, a more sensible approach to avoid toxins would be to trim your waistline. As humans we are not immune to toxin storage, and fat is where store them too). The Canadian Food Inspection Agency regularly monitors farmed salmon and all food products to ensure that they are safe to eat. Many people often wonder about antibiotics and hormones in agriculture and aquaculture so let's talk about this too. Antibiotics are less frequently used in salmon farming than in other livestock farming, and hormones are not used in farm salmon grown for human consumption.

How do I know if what I buy in the grocery store is wild or farmed? If the fish is labelled as Atlantic Salmon, it is farmed. Usually it will be less expensive than wild salmon, available year round, and have more fat marbelling. Pacific salmon was once associated with being wild, however some farmed Pacific salmon is now on the market too, specifically farmed Pacific Chinook. If you are not sure if the salmon is wild or farmed, look at the colour and fat marbelling. If the colour is deep orange-red, and there is noticeable fat marbelling, it is likely farmed fish. Canned salmon is wild salmon, unless it is labeled as Atlantic.

The health benefits of eating fish far outweigh any potential health risks. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, char, trout and sardines are a nutrient rich food which more often than not people don't get enough of. The recommendation is to have at least two servings (each about the size of a deck of cards) of these fish a week.

As seen in The Telegram September 19, 2011