Salmon and Environmental Responsibility

[wonderlust]

I’m trying to be environmentally responsible and I don’t know if it is better to eat wild salmon or farmed salmon. Is the commercial fishing of wild salmon depleting the resources? Is the farming of salmon an irresponsible industry? I heard something about farmed fish and the vast effect of fish poop upon the local environment. And does mercury come into the decision?

Salmon is a great source of nutrition and I enjoy it, but I don’t know which is the better choice when I “vote” with my consumption.

[Tony_Montana]

Former southeast Alaska commercial fisherman here. Commercial salmon fishing is not depleting the resource. The fishery is closely monitored and regulated by fishery biologists.No cites.
As for your other query hers a linky I found Alaskan salmon

[lazybratsche]

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch program for just this sort of question. Here’s their factsheet for salmon. It echoes what Tony says, that wild stocks of salmon are carefully managed. Farmed salmon, on the other hand, involves heavy use of pesticides and antibiotics, which then get dumped into the surrounding ocean.

[Fear_Itself]

Wild salmon in Alaska is closely managed to maintain a sustainable resource:

In Alaska, with few exceptions, our runs are in excellent shape, supporting sustainable, record harvest levels over the past 20 years. The ocean environment was extremely favorable in the 1980s and early 1990s. Good fisheries management and a pristine environment have allowed Alaska’s salmon populations to make the most of favorable ocean conditions and to allow users the opportunity to achieve record level harvests.

The escapements (the number of fish counted as they enter a river for spawning) for the Upper Cook Inlet region have actually been increasing over the last 20 years, even as yearly harvests have increased (PDF). It is a sign of sound management policies that ensure wild Alaskan salmon harvests will not suffer due to over fishing.

[wonderlust]

This is all really good information to know. Thank you all for contributing.

[Do_Not_Taunt]

@lazybratsche

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch program for just this sort of question. Here’s their factsheet for salmon. It echoes what Tony says, that wild stocks of salmon are carefully managed. Farmed salmon, on the other hand, involves heavy use of pesticides and antibiotics, which then get dumped into the surrounding ocean.

FYI, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has a handy wallet sized card to answer questions just like this one. You can order a bunch FOR FREE here (click the link to 'Order Free Pocket Guides) and give them out to your friends. Due to space constraints, the card itself just tells you what you should and should not eat, but if you’re curious later why you had to pass on that Chilean Seabass, their web page usually has good detail.

[Johnny_L.A]

@Do Not Taunt

if you’re curious later why you had to pass on that Chilean Seabass, their web page usually has good detail.

If only a law could be passed to call it the toothfish, consumption would go down.

[Ms_Macphisto]

@lazybratsche

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch program for just this sort of question. Here’s their factsheet for salmon. It echoes what Tony says, that wild stocks of salmon are carefully managed. Farmed salmon, on the other hand, involves heavy use of pesticides and antibiotics, which then get dumped into the surrounding ocean.

And there’s also the issue of farmed salmon spreading sea lice to wild salmon.

[Great_Dave]

Just wanted to point out that Atlantic Salmon= farmed-raised.