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.

Salmon farming in Scotland is better regulated than most countries and the species being farmed is native to the area. The Scottish Salmon Producers Organization adopted a Code of Good Practices in 2006. All members of this trade group (which constitutes 95% of salmon produced in Scotland) are required to adhere to this Code of Good Practices. Though this code does require that fishmeal and fish oil in salmon feed be sourced from sustainable fisheries, the feeding efficiencies are less than other salmon producing countries. Scotland needs to increase its use of agriculturally derived proteins and oils. The use of chemicals, including medicines, is well regulated and minimized as is pollution in the form of fish waste. Escapes are possible, but the government does require 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 decrease of genetic diversity, but wild populations in Scotland are still fairly robust compared to most other places in Europe.

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