Clarification of toxins in farmed fish
Ruth Salmon, Napa Valley Register, January 19, 2013
As a representative of Canada’s aquaculture industry — including the salmon farming sector — I have been following the letters you’ve recently published on farmed salmon (“Farmed and dangerous: the dish about fish,” Nov. 30, “Misconceptions about farmed fish,” Dec. 11, and “Reader weighs in on wild vs. farmed salmon debate,” Jan. 17).
I agree with all of the authors in their recommendations about the tremendous health and nutritional benefits of salmon. However, there were fallacies raised in the letter “Reader weighs in on wild vs. farmed salmon debate,” I must address.
Regarding the PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) statement, because of industrial practices in the past, PCBs are found in all foods. In fact, trace levels of PCBs are found in both wild and farmed salmon.
PCB levels found in farmed salmon are far lower than in other commonly-eaten foods, such as beef, chicken, pork, eggs and butter.
The balance of the author’s concerns are addressed by the Canadian industry’s farm siting practices. Approvals for salmon farms are subject to environmental review according to both federal and provincial legislation.
In addition to locating farms in well-flushed waters, salmon farmers use fallowing, crop rotation and low stocking densities to limit nutrient pollution. Farmed salmon go into the water disease-free and farmers routinely monitor their fish to maintain optimal fish health.
The global human population is growing, per capita demand for seafood is increasing, and our over-stressed oceans can’t keep up.
Today, aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world, and produces nearly half of the seafood consumed. Discrediting this vibrant and sustainable industry with outdated and misinformed information does little to address this important issue.
Farmed and wild fish offer the same health benefits, so you can feel good about choosing either. Farmed salmon has the added benefit of taking pressure off wild stocks and is available fresh year-round.
Ruth Salmon / Executive director, Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance
Outdated salmon research leads to confusion
Ian Roberts, Napa Valley Register, January 19, 2013
In a recent letter to the Napa Valley Register, Jerome Solomon, M.D., expressed his concern regarding the nutritional value of farm-raised salmon from British Columbia (“Reader weighs in on wild vs. farmed salmon debate,” Jan. 17).
While I can appreciate that he is entitled to his opinion, I’m concerned his negative opinion of farm-raised salmon is not based on today’s facts. His patients deserve up-to-date information about healthy eating.
To clarify for your readers, farm-raised salmon are generally Atlantic species (Salmo salar) and wild-caught salmon are mainly the five Pacific species (Oncorhynchus). Salmon are farmed in Europe, Australia, South America, Canada and the United States.
Mr. Solomon states that wild-caught salmon are high in healthy long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury. He is correct, but this is also true of farm-raised Atlantic salmon. In fact, studies have shown Atlantic salmon are naturally higher in omega-3s and lower in mercury than their Pacific cousins.
Mr. Solomon’s concern about PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in farm-raised salmon may be born from a well-publicized study in 2004 that suggested farm-raised Atlantic salmon were higher in PCBs than some species of wild Pacific salmon.
The fact is, while salmon species vary slightly in levels of PCBs, all salmon (wild and farmed) contain less than 1 percent of acceptable PCB levels according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Since 2004, salmon farmers have continually improved the diet of farm-raised salmon to ensure these PCB levels have continued to drop. North American health agencies recommend the consumption of oily fish, such as salmon, twice weekly.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans set no consumption limits for farm-raised salmon, not even for pregnant and breast-feeding women, and rank it as one of the healthiest seafoods you can eat, with high omega-3 content and low mercury content.
The fact is: Both wild-caught and farm-raised salmon are very low in unwanted contaminants and very, very high in nutritional benefits.
Lastly, Mr. Solomon is not correct to state that the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Guide is “up to date.” Farm-raised salmon was last reviewed in 2003 — a decade ago.
The aquarium is now working to update this guide to reflect today’s business of salmon aquaculture. I would suggest that Mr. Solomon also update his files about the nutritional benefits of eating salmon — farmed and wild.
To learn more about how salmon are raised on farms in British Columbia, please see BCSalmonFacts.ca.
Ian Roberts is a salmon fisher from British Columbia, Canada.
Reader weighs in on wild vs. farmed salmon debate
Jerome Solomon, January 16, 2013
About two months ago, there were two (letters) discussing the pros and cons of wild versus farmed salmon (“Farmed and dangerous: the dish about fish,” Nov. 30, and “Misconceptions about farmed fish,” Dec. 11).
I have a great personal and professional interest in the consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. I advise my pregnant patients to have the following fish at least three times a week: sardines, oyster, and wild salmon. These fish are high in omega-3 and low in mercury.
The negatives of farmed salmon are numerous. The majority of farmed salmon today comes from the Atlantic Ocean. These salmon have high levels of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls), which is an organic toxin.
Most of these salmon are kept in open pens and cages in the ocean. Their waste is, therefore, released into the ocean. Parasites and disease from farmed salmon can spread to wild salmon swimming nearby.
Also, escaped farmed salmon can harm the wild population, perhaps genetically or otherwise.
Go to SeafoodWatch.org and click on Monterey Bay Aquarium to view or obtain the pocket guide for the West Coast Sustainable Seafood Guide. This guide provides up-to-date information about which fish are the best choices, what fish are good alternatives, and which fish to avoid and why. Sustainable seafood also involves fishing techniques that do not harm the oceans.
The Marine Stewardship Council provides blue eco-Iabels in stores or restaurants that carry sustainable fish. One example of such a restaurant is in Sausalito. It is called simply “Fish” on Harbor Drive. It is run by the two owners who have a trout farm and fishing boat that follows these sustainable guidelines. (I have no financial interest in this restaurant; I simply enjoy the high quality of fish.)
Jerome Solomon, M.D. / Napa
To read (“Misconceptions about farmed fish,” Dec. 11 and “Farmed and dangerous: the dish about fish,” Nov. 30, Napa Valley Register Click Here
