Farmed Fish | Alaskan Harvest Seafood Blog

Atlantic Farmed Fish Suffer Disease Outbreak

As of January 2, 2009, the Scottish government has declared the presence of a second Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) outbreak among farmed fish populations. The virus manifests itself as severe anemia, darkening of the liver, and internal hemorrhaging, and results in very high mortality rates. While the disease is not transmissable nor dangerous to humans, the outbreaks can cause a major shift in fish production from that area, as entire populations must be destroyed in order to avoid further spread or contamination of other fish, according to Scottish Law and the Diseases of Fish Act of 1937.

Scotland’s Fisheries Research Services are currently engaged in investigating and controlling the outbreaks through a number of measures, including taking samples and performing laboratory analyses from different stocks, and restricting the movement of live and dead fish to and from infected areas.

Consumers should be aware of the disease, as it may result in shifts in fish supplies and result in increased prices for farmed Atlantic salmon. Wild Pacific salmon is safe from the disease, and those wild stocks remain unaffected.

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Salmon: wild vs. farmed?

Filed under: News — Tags: farmed fish, PCBs, Salmon, Seafood, wild salmon, wild vs. farmed —

In the debate between whether to eat fish grown and harvested in wild waters or those raised on “farms,” there is little contest. Wild fish are both healthier and more flavorful, and buying from U.S. fisheries supports domestic economies weakened by environmental damage (such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill) and foreign imports.

According to a study published in Science magazine, farmed salmon can carry as many as ten times the level of carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as wild fish.[1] Much of the problem is due to the kinds of feed given farm-raised fish: recycled beef fat from agricultural slaughterhouses is a common ingredient, and the diets of cattle are often already high in industrial toxins due to environmental and other factors. These PCBs become concentrated with each step up the food chain, leaving the humans who consume the PCB-rich fish at the highest risk.[2] Wild salmon eat primarily smaller fish, such as herring and krill.

Another key difference between wild and farmed salmon is the water in which they live. Farmed salmon mature in pools or pens, where there is seldom a great deal of water disturbance or “turbulence” for them to push against. Wild salmon grow up fighting currents and navigating the force of natural waters. This produces stronger, more robust musculature and, for the consumer, denser and more flavorful fish.

The majority of Atlantic salmon are farmed – over 99%, while more than 80% of salmon coming from the Pacific (primarily Alaska and the Pacific Northwest) are wild-caught.[3]

[1] 1. Hites, R. A. et al. Global assessment of organic contaminants in farmed salmon. Science, 303, 226 - 229, (2004).

[2] Hopkin, M. Study shows farmed salmon contain dangerous levels of toxic chemicals. Nature Magazine, Jan. 9, (2004).

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon - Retrieved 10/1/08.