Revisiting the Salmon Question

I don't eat Salmon. I won't serve Salmon. I've banned Salmon from my home and openly shame my immediate family members for even considering Salmon on a restaurant menu.

As I dug and read and conducted research for a project on NW Atlantic and NE Pacific cetaceans, I became even more distressed over how important Salmon are in the ecosystem. A conversation with a person-who-will-remain-anonymous ensued, in which she said, "Don't tell me, I don't want to know. And anyway, there's nothing I can do." I replied, "Yes, there is something you can do. The alternative is bury your head in the sand." As a big Salmon eater, I knew I would not sway her. Instead, I'll do my small part to spread a little knowledge....

Feed: Farm-raised Salmon are fed pellets made from either all or some of these ingredients:
grains, animal byproducts, and fish meal. Before harvesting, the amount of fish meal fed to the pen-raised Salmon is increased from about 30% to 90% to increase the amount of Omega-3. Farmed fishes are being fed wild fishes at the bottom of the food chain that would otherwise be eaten by wild fishes, marine mammals, and sea birds in other parts of the world.
CLICK HERE for FAO information page.

Photo credit: FAO

Color: In the wild, Salmon are carnivores and derive their food entirely from natural prey high in fatty acids, vitamins and carotene. To make up for this gap, farmers add artificial or synthesized supplements to enhance the flesh color before harvesting.
CLICK HERE to read about CARROPHYL (R) a color enhancer.

Photo credit: K. Ganter

Water Quality: Farm-raised Salmon live, feed, and excrete in large, semi-enclosed pens. The excrement and left-over food accumulates or disperses in the surrounding water and on the bottom below, creating changes in the local environment. Pens located in high-current areas are flushed more often and are more environmentally sustainable, but labeling still doesn't require this disclosure.

Image credit: Dr. George Pararas Carayannis

Non-endemic: Northeastern Pacific, farm-raised salmon are Atlantic Salmon which do not occur naturally in Pacific waters. Escapes and pen failures have allowed non-native introductions, and with that, introduction of viruses, diseases and infections which are treated with antibiotics. These illnesses may put wild salmon at further risk.
CLICK HERE for Times Colonist article.

A little additive color with your dinner? Photo credit: Guide to Safe Salmon

Reproduction: Most wild, anadromous Salmons die after spawning. They don't re-enter the ocean and return again to natal streams to spawn a second time. They are a one-and-done species. Each wild salmon taken from the ocean takes away a potential future generation. Additionally, the carcasses of dead Salmons return vital nutrients into streams.

Photo credit: FishWithJD

Predators: Many species prey naturally on wild Salmon: bears, sea birds, pinnipeds, sharks, and Killer Whales. The Southern Resident Killer Whales are known to prey primarily on energy-rich salmon. Atlantic Killer Whales also feed on salmon. Take the salmon out, take the whales out with them... The further Salmon stocks decline, the more these whales are in peril.
CLICK HERE for a podcast and information from NOAA.

Photo credit: NOAA

Offshore Killer Whales have been shown to feed on sharks. There teeth wear down over time from the abrasive skin. These elderly whales then rely on food sharing within the pod. They have been shown to feed on Pacific Sleeper Sharks, Blue or Whitetip sharks, Opah, and halibut. Sleeper sharks are opportunistic feeders and will prey on a wide variety of fishes, marine mammals, and carrion. Large halibut prey primarily on fishes, including... you guessed it... Salmons.

In conclusion, if ignorance is bliss, then knowledge is power. Power to make informed decisions, lifestyle changes, and little changes that do make a big difference.

If you care to pick up a great book on the broader subject, check out "Four Fishes" by Paul Greenberg. Good read.

Cheers and Best Fishes for a fresh New Year!
-Val

Repeat after me: "Don't eat farm-raised Salmon."

No Love for Lampreys

Been away for a while... My stepdad passed away and with that there was another seismic shift in the landscape. Irrespective, he was instrumental in giving me the gift of the sea. So I decided to jump back into this and continue on in his honor...He'd have liked this and all it is.

Oh the lowly Lamprey! What a conflict of issues! Most folks find it repulsive (but not to me - I don't care - the uglier the more interesting it is). It's a parasite (and feeds on sought-after gamefishes). But on the other hand, it's also revered table fare?! Huh? News to me.

Reviled yet farmed, sought, and sauteed. Yeah, Lamprey. (Um, NO!?)

Click here... here!

Dan Barber: How I Fell In Love With A Fish

This is pretty darned insightful. Worth the 20 minutes of your time... If you care to delve deeper, a good read is "Four Fish" by Paul Greenburg.

">

Hatchery Problems Partially Solved?

Most fish hatcheries are built like spillways. They resemble long, rectangular pools, with water flowing in one end and out the other. The hatcheries I've visited are usually near a water source. Fish of similar sizes swim against the flow. They are all fed pellets, probably made from fish meal. When the fish are of size, they are shipped and released into streams, rivers, oceans.

A hatchery fish is easily distinguished from a native fish. (At least an experienced fisherman can distinguish them.) The fins can be underformed. The colors not as bright. The flesh is not as sweet as wild flesh. And, they are voracious. Even I, a technique-challenged fly fisherman, can catch one. The hatchery fish I've caught seem almost... dumb. They ate even the most poorly presented or built fly.

On a scientific level, this may be an important observation. From what I've read, hatchery fish do indeed 'water down' the native gene pool. Yes, they provide meat and take pressure off of wild lineages in the face of declining, healthy habitat. But problems with farm-raised fish abound: hatchery fishes are more prone to disease and parasites; the water they are raised in is Nitrogen rich, which leads to algal blooms and subsequent loss of Oxygen; the fish-meal pellets they eat may have high concentrations of toxic chemicals; they take from 6 to 3 pounds of pellets to grown one pound of flesh (not exactly good for the baitfish populations!); they are not 'wild' and therefore probably not able to migrate like wild stocks - so if they do reproduce, the subsequent fry may be inferior.

Regardless, hatcheries are here to stay. As the human population grows, so does demand for food. Wild stocks might be wiped out if not supplimented by hatcheries. The challenge is making them more environmentally friendly. On that score, there is some good news.

It was recently discovered that circular tanks yeild healtier, stronger fish that have less impact on wild fish. The tanks use less water and are easier to clean. Many problems still remain, but this is at least a step in the right direction.

SIDEBAR: "Four Fish" by Paul Greenburg explores the deep and very complicated relationships between four major foodfish and humans. I have not finished the book, but have found it to be exceptional thus far.

Cobia farming

I don't quite know what to think of this. These things are never as simple as they appear. And, if this farming turns out to be like the salmon farming in Chile, it could have a negative ending...