Farmed vs Wild Fish

Second in a series on the impact of Seafood on your health and the environment by Coastal Seafoods and the Wedge Meat and Seafood Department.

Why do some people prefer to eat far m raised fish while others choose to eat exclusively wild caught? Are farm raised fish filled with toxins? Are we over-fishing our wild stocks? Every day fish retailers are asked these questions. It would be great if there were simple answers or a truly objective list of good and bad food. Unfortunately food is not that simple. Making well rounded decisions about what to eat requires ongoing research while considering multiple sources.

In a country where the two most severe health threats are smoking and obesity, which lead to the number one killer in America, heart disease, why does the mass media focus extensively and negatively on the seafood industry? Eating fish rich in Omega 3s, especially salmon, wild or farmed, is a sure way to save thousands of lives each year in this country, through a reduction in sudden cardiac death. The plethora of misinformation surrounding this issue is causing mortal injury to the population of America. A recent article in the New York Times headlined, "Farmed fish higher in PCB's than wild salmon," causing alarmed consumers to eliminate farmed fish of any kind from their diet. At the same time, almost half of the twenty-two fish categorized as "safe" by the Monterey Bay Aquarium were farm raised. Ultimately it is impossible for any one source to construct an absolute or accurate "safe food list," for planning your diet.

The amount of wild caught seafood cannot be increased enough to compensate for demand as the world population grows. Aquaculture has become a necessity to ensure sustainable levels of wild fish, lessening fishing pressure on wild stocks allowing us to enjoy wild fish when it's in season and farmed fish when it is not. Interestingly, up to 80% of wild Alaskan salmon were actually raised in fish hatcheries.

Recently, there have been many news outlets headlining "farmed fish is higher in toxins than wild fish." Nothing could be further from the truth. Walter Willett, chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, stated "consumers should pay no attention to the recent alarmist reports on toxins in farmed salmon." Wild and farmed salmon have PCB levels far below either the FDA or EPA allowable limits and even at the highest recorded levels cooked salmon, farmed or wild, has toxin levels less than or equal to chicken, pork or beef. Shetland organic farmed salmon has fewer toxins than just about anything available for human consumption. To create both dietary and ecological balances consider eating a varied diet consisting of both farmed and wild seafood.

An advantage to eating wild caught seafood is the natural variance within each species. Flavors and textures vary greatly from one wild fish to the next, due to diet, location, and size, which each contribute to the fish's culinary character. Many wild species of fish are caught within increasingly sustainable limits. The Alaskan fishery is one such area that has become such a success that other countries and fisheries use Alaska as a model for ideal fish management. Wild diver caught scallops are another choice when looking for a seafood with little or no impact on our environment. They are hand picked by scuba divers, (thus their name divers), from the seafloor leaving the ocean bottom undisturbed and in its natural state.

Issues surrounding wild fish include over-fishing, contaminants and ecologically detrimental fishing methods. Realistically, every species of fish from each specific location, has its own impact. For example, while swordfish numbers in the north Atlantic have dropped due to over-fishing and natural cycles, numbers in the south Pacific have increased dramatically over the last ten years. Abstaining from eating swordfish from New Zealand has no effect on swordfish numbers in the Atlantic.

Of course, the greatest benefit of including wild and farmed fish in your diet is the immense nutrition it provides. Three ounces of fatty, omega-3 rich seafood eaten just twice a week is known to reduce risks of heart disease, arthritis, depression, and many other ailments. Doing some research will help you to make better informed dietary decisions. Ask your fish retailer how each fish is caught and where exactly it comes from to decide if it is a good choice for your health, for your earth, and for your palate. Most importantly, eat a wide variety of seafood, you will live longer!