Catch Info:

• Method:
  Cages/ Net Pens
• Gear:
  Marine net pens

View details of SeafoodWatch Catch Methods

Description:

The vast majority, over 99%, of Atlantic salmon available in the commercial market is farmed. Farmed salmon have a milder, more delicate flavor than wild salmon. Their flesh is moderately firm and somewhat oily, though less so than wild Chinook (king) salmon. The color varies from orange to pinkish orange based on the amount of pigment added to the feed (not a dye added to the flesh of the fish as many people believe), which is meant to mimic the natural pigments in the prey species that wild salmon consume.

Atlantic salmon are native to the northern Atlantic Ocean, but are farmed in more than a dozen countries around the world including places where it is not native.

Overall, salmon farming in Scotland is better regulated than most countries, but Loch Duart has gone above and beyond the sustainability of other salmon producers in Scotland. They have received numerous certification and accolades from environmental and animal welfare organizations including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Green Peace. Salmon are stocked in net pets at very low densities and are fed a nutritious and sustainable diet. No antibiotics, hormones, pesticides or antifoulant chemicals are used on the salmon or net pens. A rigorous rotational fallowing system allows farm sites to naturally cleanse and regenerate and sea urchins and seaweed are grown alongside salmon to clean up uneaten food and salmon waste. Escapes have occurred, but the species being farmed is native to the area, the Scottish government requires reporting of all potential escapes and each farm site is required to have a containment and contingency plan. Escapees have been shown to interfere with wild populations through reproduction and decreasing of genetic diversity, but wild populations are still fairly robust compared to most other places in Europe.

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