Farm raised versus wild salmon is there a significant difference? When eating salmon, I always wondered if farm raised versus wild salmon was about the same in health benefits. Especially since I can hardly find affordable and available wild-caught salmon. When I looked into this issue, I learned in the past two decades, farm raised versus wild salmon production has increased significantly. In fact, 2 decades ago only 27,000 metric tons of farm-raised salmon were harvested. Today, farm raised salmon production increased to over one million metric tons annually. Meanwhile, the wild salmon population has diminished to half of what it was 20 years ago.
Farm Raised Versus Wild Salmon-Nutritional Value
There are definite nutritional differences between farmed versus wild salmon. For instance, farmed salmon has greater fat content and contains slightly more omega-3s 3s, but much more omega-6. Plus farmed salmon has 3 times more saturated fat. As a result, farm-raised salmon has 46{e1494affca8541b767a1e78c88df93c2d3699e26b8e7b003c45f57d55dbb4fc5} more calories than wild salmon.
The primary polyunsaturated fats found in salmon are Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. You need both of these fatty acids in a healthy diet. In addition, both fatty acids need to be in balance with each other to maintain a healthy diet. However, the American diet today is loaded with too much Omega-6 creating an imbalance between the two.
Many scientists theorize that this imbalance leads to increased inflammation. Furthermore, this imbalance may have a role in today’s pandemics of chronic diseases such as heart disease. This imbalance between the two fats exists in farmed salmon. In fact, farmed salmon omega- 3 to omega-6 ratio is 3 times higher than wild salmon. On the other hand, wild salmon have significantly less omega-6 resulting in a nearly 1 to 1 ratio. Additionally, wild salmon have more minerals, including potassium, zinc, and iron than farmed salmon. When it comes to which is more nutritious, the wild salmon gets the nod!
Farmed Raised versus Wild Salmon –Contaminants
Past studies have shown that farmed salmon have a much higher concentration of contaminants than wild salmon. For instance, the most dangerous pollutant found in salmon is PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl. Notably, farmed salmon have a six times greater concentration of PCB than wild salmon. Moreover, cancer and various other health problems have been strongly associated with PCB. Other contaminants include dioxins and several chlorinated pesticides.
Among the major farmed salmon producers, America, Europe, and Chile, European farmed salmon had higher contaminates than American farmed salmon. Meanwhile, Chile had the least containment levels. Also Norwegian farmed raised salmon have lowered contamination levels over the past 10 years. Even with these efforts, once again Wild Salmon seems to be better than farm-raised salmon.
Farm Raised versus Wild Salmon-Trace Elements;
A few studies concluded that there was very little difference in mercury levels between farmed and wild salmon. However, one study came up with a different analysis. In that study, the wild salmon had 3 times higher levels of mercury compared to farm salmon. However, the study also reported the levels of arsenic are higher in farmed salmon. Then again, wild salmon have higher levels of cobalt, copper, and cadmium. In any case, the trace metals found in both wild and farmed salmon do not contain harmful levels.
Farm Raised Versus Wild Salmon—Antibiotics
Farmed raised salmon are more susceptible to disease and infections because of the density of the fish in a pond environment. To overcome this, the feed for farm salmon has antibiotics added in the feed. Unfortunately, there is no uniform or standardized regulation of antibiotics used in this industry.
The use of antibiotics is a health concern for consumers. For instance, susceptible individuals might have allergic reactions to even traces of antibiotics found in farmed salmon. Moreover, the overuse of antibiotics promotes antibiotic resistance in fish bacteria. In turn, this increases the risk of resistance in human gut bacteria due to gene transfer.
Many of the world’s largest producers of farmed salmon have strictly regulated the use of antibiotics. Specifically, Norway and Canada have a very effective regulatory framework. However, the world’s second-largest producer of farmed salmon, Chile, uses excessive antibiotics. For example, Norway uses 1 gram of antibiotics while Chile uses 530 grams per ton of harvested salmon.
Conclusion
A key thought to keep in mind is that farmed salmon is still a healthy diet choice. For instance, it tends to be larger and provides slightly more omega-3. Plus, farmed salmon costs less than wild salmon. The biggest concern with farmed salmon is organic pollutants like PCB. Plus, farmed salmon’s use of antibiotics can cause antibiotic resistance in your stomach.
Bottom-line, wild salmon is generally better for you if you can afford it! With that in mind, check out this site for your next wild salmon experience!