Learn more about farmed Atlantic salmon. Atlantic Salmon Farmed Salmo salar. Sea run salmon, Kelts, Black salmon. Quick Facts Region. Atlantic salmon fish. Credit: Bob Michelson. Environmental Impact Federal and state regulations and monitoring requirements ensure that salmon farming as practiced in the United States has minimal impact on the environment.

Feeds Farmed salmon are incredibly efficient at converting feed to edible protein. Farming Methods Atlantic salmon are spawned and raised in on-land hatcheries until large enough for transfer to net-pens in coastal waters.

Human Health Atlantic salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Spindle-like body shape — rounded, broad in the middle, and tapered at each end. Typical of salmon species, shape is flattened toward the sides. Ventral paired fins are prominent, especially on juveniles.

Spawning females lay an average of 7, eggs. Growth rates vary, depending on season, age, sex and population density. After two years at sea, adult salmon have an average length of 28 to 30 inches and a weight of 8 to 12 pounds. Atlantic salmon do not die after spawning. Permitting for salmon aquaculture is governed by federal, state and local governments.

The federal agencies involved are NOAA, the Army Corps of Engineers, U. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Coast Guard. Featured News Atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon.

Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Atlantic Salmon Federation. View More News. Related Species. Recreational Fishing Regulations. Commercial Fishing Regulations. Subsistence Fishing Regulations. Seafood Facts. Is Atlantic Salmon Sustainable? Availability Available year-round.

Source Coastal salmon farms, mostly in Maine or Washington. Taste Buttery, rich taste. Texture Firm and fatty, rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Color Like wild-caught salmon, the flesh is reddish-orange or pink. Health Benefits Farmed salmon is low in sodium and contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B The causes affecting wild salmon mortality are extensive.

Their carefully curated journeys through different environments and interactions with a variety of predators and prey means a high vulnerability to changes in the environment. Today, we know that the main threats posed to wild salmon abundance are human-caused. Commercial and recreational overfishing are usually held accountable, having caused the most endangerment to marine species throughout human history.

Although the impact of fishing is significant, more harmful risks are now posed to aquatic life with the expansion of human development.

Habitat Destruction Urban development and natural resource extraction has caused the loss of many prime salmon spawning habitats. The displacement of their spawning grounds by the building of cities, roads and bridges also has a large impact. Climate Change Rising global temperatures means a warming ocean.

This affects salmon from all angles; their predatory sense of smell is suppressed, their instinctual navigation routes are misled due to changing currents, and the abundance of prey is declining.

Pteropods, a key prey species for Pacific salmon, are rapidly declining due to changes in oceanic carbonate chemistry conditions. Research shows that situating fish farms near wild salmon populations can cause declines of more than 50 percent.

Many of the prime wild salmon river runs in B. fall in close proximity to commercial fish farms. In open-net fish farms, fish are kept within confined net-pens in the ocean where they are easily fed and monitored, ensuring maximum harvest and profitability. It sounds viable — surely breeding our own seafood is more sustainable than taking more wild fish from the ocean.

This is a commonly assumed benefit of fish farming. Fish farms discharge large amounts of harmful waste into the ocean including fish excrement, chemicals, pesticides and parasites, impacting all surrounding marine life — including passing by wild salmon.

Disease As with all farmed animals in a confined space, disease is easily and commonly spread. Diseases including the PRV piscine orthoreovirus , sea lice and HSMI heart and skeletal muscle inflammation are regularly found in open-pen farmed salmon in the ocean.

These diseases have been proven to spread to passing juvenile wild salmon during their migratory route. Fish farmers have implemented the use of antibiotics and chemical washes to treat such diseases as far back as the s, but the issues still persist to this day. In fact, studies have shown that sea lice have now developed a resistance to the drugs being used to try and eradicate them.

In response to their immunity, in May the B. government permitted one of the largest aquaculture companies, Cermaq, to release 2. Escaped Fish Atlantic Salmon constitute the majority of farmed Salmon in B.

This is because Atlantic salmon have better rates of growth and survival on fish farms than Pacific salmon. When farmed Atlantic salmon escape and mix with their wild Pacific cousins, unnatural interbreeding causes weaker genes to enter the Pacific salmon gene pool.

The most effective way to help wild salmon preservation is to reduce our salmon intake altogether. By opting for alternative non-threatened, equally nutritious cold-water fish including arctic char farmed , trout or sardines, the problems facing both wild and farmed salmon will decline.

If you are to buy salmon, the following guidelines will aid a lesser harmful impact. If ocean-based fish farms were to suddenly shut down, the demand for salmon would inevitably be sourced from the last remaining wild salmon in the ocean.

A number of aquaculture companies and the B. government are now looking at inland fish farming methods. Averting the endangerment of wild fish and the ocean, raising salmon in a land-based contained pen is a healthier option, too.

Protected from sea lice, jellyfish pathogens and diseases, land-based farmed salmon can be raised organically and without the need for antibiotics. Kuterra B. By buying from and supporting such companies, consumer spending will be channeled away from open-net farmed salmon and onto more sustainable, healthy practices — encouraging other companies to follow suit.

For example, Seafood Watch recommends that buying wild salmon caught in Washington during early Summer is the most sustainable population to buy in the Pacific Northwest, instead of salmon from B.

or Alaska. One of the most direct and impactful ways of protecting wild salmon is to support a local salmon preservation organization.

Donating to fund research, policy appeals and habitat restoration will target the issues salmon face head-on.

Easton MDL, Luszniak D, and E Von der Geest, Preliminary Examination of Contaminant Loadings in Farmed Salmon, Wild Salmon and Commercial Salmon Feed.

Chemosphere 46 Gardner J and DL Peterson, Making Sense of the Salmon Aquaculture Debate: Analysis of Issues Related to Netcage Salmon Faming and Wild Salmon in British Columbia. Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council.

Hites RA, Foran JA, Carpenter DO, Hamilton MC, Knuth BA, and SJ Schwager, Global Assessment of Organic Contaminants in Farmed Salmon. Science Mazurek R and M Elliott, Seafood Watch, Seafood Report: Farmed Atlantic Salmon PDF. Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Nash CE editor , The net-pen salmon farming Industry in the Pacific Northwest. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NFMS-NWFSC, p.

Waknitz FW, Iwamoto RN, and MS Strom, Interactions of Atlantic salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Impacts on the local Ecosystems. Fisheries Research 62 Farmed Salmon vs. Wild Salmon. Environmental Concerns Transfer of Disease The import of Atlantic salmon eggs into the Pacific for farming has raised concern about possible transfer of disease to wild stocks.

Escapes The potential escape and unintended introduction of Atlantic salmon from marine net pens into Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest rivers and streams is an environmental concern.

Pollution Pollution fish excrement and uneaten feed occurs regularly under net pens, especially if they are in a low current area. Sea Lice Sea lice from farmed fish may infect native salmon populations. Contamination Today, most of the salmon available for us to eat is farmed.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Omega-3 fatty acids in fish are derived from plants algae, leaves, grass. Summary Balancing the health benefits of farmed salmon with contaminant levels can be confusing. Once the farmed salmon reach a harvestable size, they are transported to processing plants to be prepared for sale.

For consumers, most farmed salmon is sold as salmon fillets, although you can also purchase whole fish. We recognize that an increased production of farmed salmon is required to ensure future demands for protein are met, however this must be matched by significant reductions in environmental impact and improvements in resource efficiency.

We recognize our ability — and our responsibility — to drive positive change at scale, and we are committed to seeking and supporting advancements in aquaculture that drive healthy, sustainable food systems. Responsible aquaculture methods can help ensure the protein we eat is produced in a way that supports nutritious diets and more sustainable food systems.

Take a deeper look into the role farmed salmon can play in future food systems and the work we are doing to ensure our industry is adapting and improving at the speed and scale the world needs. MENU About Us About Salmon Farming Our Work The Latest Resource Hub Search.

A constantly evolving world Over the past few years every industry has been experiencing rapid, extensive, and sometimes devastating change and the food industry is no exception.

According to the Marine Ingredients Organisation IFFO, on average, less than a kilo of wild fish is needed. They have also found that around a third of the fishmeal or fish oil comes from by-products — bits of the fish that would otherwise be thrown away.

Overall, the majority of feed comes from other sources, mostly land based. This myth is particularly unhelpful because it moves the focus away from these other feed ingredients, that also have environmental and social impacts, like soy. Wild salmon is pink simply because of a pigment that happens to be in the food they eat.

Similar pigments may be added to the feed used by salmon farms — the use of food colouring is widespread and uncontroversial in many food products. There are no injections, and the salmon is getting its pink colour from the food it eats, as wild salmon do.

ASC certification ensures that any such addition to the feed must not harm the fish or environment. Any such generalisations about the nutritional benefits of food should be treated with caution.

For many other attributes such as protein and fat there were indeed differences between wild and farmed, and in some cases the differences between different species were more significant than the differences between farmed and wild.

The misuse and overuse of antibiotics are fundamentally important issues that must be tackled. Thankfully, many salmon farms including all ASC certified farms do not use antibiotics preventatively, or to promote growth, or for any other unnecessary reason.

Instead, they focus on preventative health care — keeping the fish healthy before they get sick.