Farm Raised Salmon

[Chad]

Dunno if y'all have seen this yet, but wild Alaska salmon gets a clean bill of health.

Chad

[Mallet]

I posted this in the BC forum, but it may be of general interest as well:

abstract]

Rather than benefiting wild fish, industrial aquaculture may contribute to declines in ocean fisheries and ecosystems. Farm salmon are commonly infected with salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), which are native ectoparasitic copepods. We show that recurrent louse infestations of wild juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), all associated with salmon farms, have depressed wild pink salmon populations and placed them on a trajectory toward rapid local extinction. The louse-induced mortality of pink salmon is commonly over 80% and exceeds previous fishing mortality. If outbreaks continue, then local extinction is certain, and a 99% collapse in pink salmon population abundance is expected in four salmon generations. These results suggest that salmon farms can cause parasite outbreaks that erode the capacity of a coastal ecosystem to support wild salmon populations.

[Ken Fox]

HOST'S NOTE: The following salmon discussion started out from this post in the Sous Vide topic.

I made some salmon mi cuit tonight:

This ended up being part of a delicious meal:

Firstly, the salmon looks delicious, although personally speaking (as someone older than yourself) I hate getting sick and I'd have cooked it at a higher temperature. But then, that is just me.

In your blog you state it is Coho salmon and you aren't sure if it is wild or farmed. To my knowledge, none of the 3 "fine" Pacific "salmon" species are available farmed, they are all wild. I am speaking of King, also called Chinook, which is a larger fish than the other two, and Coho (often called "silver,") and Sockeye, the smallest, also called "Red" and sometimes "Blueback." Other wild Pacific salmon species include "chum," also called "dog salmon" by Alaskans, and "Pink," generally found canned, also called "humpback" or "humpies." The latter two are generally regarded by those from salmon producing areas as inedible unless eaten directly out of the water or smoked, and (otherwise) best served as dog food or maybe to prisoners in the state penitentiary.

True Atlantic salmon, as found (or used to be found) in Scotland and Norway, are often called "true salmon," whereas Pacific salmon is not regarded as really being salmon at all, but rather as "sea run trout." Farmed salmon, often called "Atlantic Salmon" on restaurant menus, is (to my knowledge) some sort of hybrid and not the same thing as the true wild Atlantic salmon. I personally regard it as inedible however it is prepared and have tried every which way to avoid eating it for a number of years. What sous vide might do to it I have no clue.

I'm no expert on salmon taxonomy and I'm just repeating what I learned as a former resident of Alaska and someone who has read a lot on the subject, never claiming to really have understood it.

Anyway, nice picture, and glad it turned out well.

ken

Edited September 24, 2008 by Chris Hennes (log)

[NY_Amateur]

Fascinating! Thanks, that was a very interesting lesson. I am aware of Tasmanian sea trout which looks like "salmon" so that's not a far leap of the imagination to what you explained.

Is true "Atlantic" salmon available anymore?

[Ken Fox]

Is true "Atlantic" salmon available anymore?

←

Wild salmon runs have been decimated by hydroelectric dams and other forces. There are still many healthy wild salmon runs in western continental North America and in Alaska. I believe there are still vibrant runs in Europe as well, although most salmon served in Europe is farmed.

My impression, based on no real knowledge, merely observation, is that some of the farmed stuff available in Europe is actually quite good. I don't know if species differences or the way the stuff is raised accounts for this. You can find salmon on the menu in many fine European restaurants that I am sure would not serve it if it was the same stuff you find farmed over here in the USA, and in response to questions I've usually been told the stuff was farmed. If someone can explain this I'd be interested to know why.

ken

[e_monster]

I made some salmon mi cuit tonight:

This ended up being part of a delicious meal:

True Atlantic salmon, as found (or used to be found) in Scotland and Norway, are often called "true salmon," whereas Pacific salmon is not regarded as really being salmon at all, but rather as "sea run trout." Farmed salmon, often called "Atlantic Salmon" on restaurant menus, is (to my knowledge) some sort of hybrid and not the same thing as the true wild Atlantic salmon. I personally regard it as inedible however it is prepared and have tried every which way to avoid eating it for a number of years. What sous vide might do to it I have no clue.

I'm no expert on salmon taxonomy and I'm just repeating what I learned as a former resident of Alaska and someone who has read a lot on the subject, never claiming to really have understood it.

Anyway, nice picture, and glad it turned out well.

ken

←

Pacific salmon are not Atlantic Salmon but they are salmon (Family Salmonidae). They are a different genus than Atlantic Salmon but salmon nonetheless. They aren't "true salmon" only if one considers the Atlantic genus to be the only true salmon. Fishery scientists consider the genus to which the Pacific varieties belong to be salmon.

"Sea trout" is a common name and is applied to various completely unrelated fish. For example coho salmon is sometimes called sea trout -- as is a completely unrelated fish found in Norway.

As an aside, farm-raised salmon is responsible for the collapse of wild salmon everywhere that there is salmon farming and wild salmon. The decline of viable waterways and for salmon migration and overfishing also contribute but even with viable migration routes, salmon farming decimates the salmon runs. This has been known for a long-time by marine biologists and fishery scientists (I first heard about it in the early 80's in a documentary about the decline of wild salmon). A web search will provide a plethora of articles documenting this

This is one of the reasons that there is no commercial Atlantic salmon fishery.

Those that care about the continued existence of wild salmon will stay away from farmed salmon.

[NY_Amateur]

I made some salmon mi cuit tonight:

This ended up being part of a delicious meal:

True Atlantic salmon, as found (or used to be found) in Scotland and Norway, are often called "true salmon," whereas Pacific salmon is not regarded as really being salmon at all, but rather as "sea run trout." Farmed salmon, often called "Atlantic Salmon" on restaurant menus, is (to my knowledge) some sort of hybrid and not the same thing as the true wild Atlantic salmon. I personally regard it as inedible however it is prepared and have tried every which way to avoid eating it for a number of years. What sous vide might do to it I have no clue.

I'm no expert on salmon taxonomy and I'm just repeating what I learned as a former resident of Alaska and someone who has read a lot on the subject, never claiming to really have understood it.

Anyway, nice picture, and glad it turned out well.

ken

←

Pacific salmon are not Atlantic Salmon but they are salmon (Family Salmonidae). They are a different genus than Atlantic Salmon but salmon nonetheless. They aren't "true salmon" only if one considers the Atlantic genus to be the only true salmon. Fishery scientists consider the genus to which the Pacific varieties belong to be salmon.

"Sea trout" is a common name and is applied to various completely unrelated fish. For example coho salmon is sometimes called sea trout -- as is a completely unrelated fish found in Norway.

As an aside, farm-raised salmon is responsible for the collapse of wild salmon everywhere that there is salmon farming and wild salmon. The decline of viable waterways and for salmon migration and overfishing also contribute but even with viable migration routes, salmon farming decimates the salmon runs. This has been known for a long-time by marine biologists and fishery scientists (I first heard about it in the early 80's in a documentary about the decline of wild salmon). A web search will provide a plethora of articles documenting this

This is one of the reasons that there is no commercial Atlantic salmon fishery.

Those that care about the continued existence of wild salmon will stay away from farmed salmon.

←

hrmm very interesting, guess I need to find some wild atlantic salmon, anyone know a place to get it in NYC or do I have to go fishing?

[chef koo]

Anyone know how much of the market is made of wild salmon to farmed?

[budrichard]

I suspect that there is some disinformation by the various parties that have an economic interest in selling salmon in the 'wild' versus 'farmed' controversy.

Much of the 'Atlantic Salmon' that is sold fresh and cold smoked is actually farmed and I can't remember having truly wild Atlantic salmon for decades.

Pacific salmon is not available all year round fresh in the US because of the seasonal nature of the salmon runs.

We use a farmed Norwegian salmon for much of the year supplementing with wild Pacific salmon when the price hysteria of the initial runs has died down.

My favorite of all salmon is fresh sockeye but for cold smoked its a King salmon or farmed Norwegian salmon.

My dog prefers the canned product and we occasionally use it for a cold salad.-Dick