Some Fishy Advice - Sustainable Questions & Answers On Salmon

November 2003
Why should we avoid farmed salmon?
Salmon are raised in net pens in coastal waters where wastes such as salmon feces, uneaten fish food and disease can easily spread to coastal ecosystems. Other potential problems relate to the escape of non-native species into the wild, and in some areas the killing of sea lions and sea birds in order to keep them from eating farmed fish.

What kind of salmon should I buy?
We believe wild-caught salmon from a well-regulated fishery is the most environmentally sound choice. Alaska salmon has recently been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, which certifies that it is a sustainable and well-managed fishery. California wild-caught salmon is also a Best Choice. Washington and Oregon salmon are on our Yellow List because of recent population declines. Most canned salmon are from wild Alaska fisheries and are a Best Choice.

I thought that some salmon were endangered. Why eat wild salmon at all?
Habitat destruction from dams has contributed greatly to the decline of West Coast salmon. Where their spawning streams are kept clean and free of silt, wild salmon reproduce prolifically and can support robust fisheries. The Pacific salmon caught in the wild are from carefully regulated fisheries that are enhanced through hatchery releases.

In the U.S., the Atlantic salmon on the market is always farm-raised, since wild Atlantic salmon are extremely rare and there is no longer a commercial fishery. Many of the East Coast's native Atlantic salmon populations are extinct; Maine's remaining wild Atlantic salmon are listed as endangered. .

Information courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium. Visit their site. www.montereybayaquarium.org