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 farms in Ireland raise the native species of Atlantic salmon in large net pens. Organic salmon are certified as organic by an independent organization such as Naturland Verband (Germany), Bio Suisse (Switzerland), or Qualite-France (Certifi Agriculture Biologique). Currently the U.S. has no standards for organic aquaculture and there are no approved criteria for organic farmed fish. In Ireland, certified organic salmon must be raised on sites that are in deep water with strong tidal currents to dilute waste products and ensure high salinity and oxygen rich water for the salmon. These fish must be fed a high quality organic diet and stock density must be at or below a certain level that reduces the risk of disease and parasites. In addition an extensive sea lice monitoring program is in place in Ireland and any escapes of farmed fish must be reported Department of Marine and Natural Resources and farms must take all measures necessary to prevent escapes.

Skin-on, large fillets with pin bones removed.

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