Fresh vs. Farmed Salmon – Which is Better?

It is all over the internet that salmon is high in Omega-3. The statement is true but it mostly applies to wild salmons. Most of the salmon found in supermarkets are farmed salmon. The nutrient composition is far less than wild salmon.
Hence, this post will share further on the differences in the fresh vs. farmed salmon:

1. Fat content in the salmon meat

Farmed salmon contains more fat than wild salmon as their movement is only limited to confined spaces. This is in comparison to wild salmons that swim upstream and are always on the move in the sea. Also, farmed salmon may look rounder in shape than wild salmon.

2. Colour of the salmon flesh

Wild salmon and farmed salmon have different tones of orange hues to their flesh due to their diet intake. Wild salmon eats a lot of krill, crabs, and shrimps which are high in a carotenoids called asthaxanthin. This gives the flesh a darker orange hue.

Fish farmers feed the salmon with pellet foods containing an artificial version of astaxanthin to provide the orange hue to the flesh. This gives a lighter orange hue.

Under certain circumstances, wild salmons may also be white because of the way they process astaxanthin.

3. Nutrient content

Typically, wild salmon have fewer calories, higher saturated fat and higher levels of vitamins A and D than farmed salmon. They also contain more protein as they move over a long distance of 3000km per year just to lay eggs.

In both wild and farmed salmon, the omega 3 content will vary depending on what the salmon eats. However, wild salmon usually has slightly higher Omega-3 content due to the readily available seafood in the sea.

4. Heavy metals, drugs and pollutants

Though wild salmon may seem healthier, they are actually higher in Persistent organic pollutants (POP’s). POP’s are pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals that are leached into the sea. These pollutants build up in the animal tissue over time. The same applies to the high content of heavy metals in wild salmon such as mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium.

With this, farmed salmons are healthier as their environment and water quality is regulated.

Nevertheless, farmed salmon are fed with antibiotics and animal drugs. to prevent infections. There are concerns that that the use of extensive antibiotics could increases antibiotic resistance in the masses.

5. Environmental concerns

Farming salmon may pose an environmental risk. The excrement and uneaten feed from the salmon can enter the local waterways and cause algal over bloom.
The intensity of fish farming can also lead to diseases in the fish population. A salmon who escapes its nest may spread diseases to other fishes and disturb the habitat of the original species.

To conclude it all, wild salmon are nutritionally better, and sustainably-fished salmon have a lower impact on the environment. With all the information given, the onus is on the consumer which type of salmon they prefer.

Reference:
1. Medical News Today. What is the difference between wild and farmed salmon?