Can Eating Salmon Be Sustainable?
The United States imports more than $6 billion of salmon and trout each year.
This action guide is the first of a three-part series on sustainable seafood. Shrimp, salmon, and tuna are the “big three” for seafood in the United States. Of the three, the salmon fishery is the most valuable since consumers are willing to pay more per pound for salmon than for tuna or shrimp. While almost all tuna are wild-caught, shrimp and salmon can be wild-caught or farm-raised. Given the size of the fishery, the money at stake, and the options available, it’s worth knowing how to choose sustainable salmon. Future action guides will tackle shrimp and tuna.
For consumers concerned about our environmental impact, many resources are available to help us choose sustainable seafood. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is excellent, especially its seafood guides organized by species.
I highly recommend the Sustainable salmon guide by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. This is a truly excellent resource.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certifies the sustainability of wild-caught fish and publishes a list of sustainable fish to eat. On their salmon page, they share recipes and provide a link to brands that are committed to selling MSC-certified seafood. The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certifies aquaculture facilities like salmon farms and provides some information about how salmon farming is practiced. If you’re living or traveling outside the United States, WWF publishes country-specific seafood guides. The good news is these organizations all agree that salmon can be a sustainable choice, depending on the species of salmon and how it is produced.
Help! I heard that salmon is an endangered species. Is that true?
Yes, but only in specific areas. “ Salmon is not endangered worldwide,” says the United States Geological Survey. Removing unnecessary dams and protecting forests around headwaters of river systems are ways to help wild salmon populations recover to historical levels. Because salmon instinctively return to their “birth” streams to reproduce, populations are managed by a river system.
Maine’s native Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar), once known as the “king of fish,” is critically endangered. Fortunately, Atlantic salmon spawn not just in Maine but in Canada, Greenland, and Europe. Wild populations outside of Maine are considered “near threatened” but not yet endangered. To meet worldwide demand for the fish, Atlantic salmon is farmed- primarily in Chile, Norway, Canada, and Scotland, but also in Maine.
Several salmon species live in the Pacific Ocean, of which five occur in North American waters. Wild Coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch) may no longer be found in the lower Columbia River, but they survive in Japan, Russia, Canada, and other rivers in the United States. Sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka) are endangered in the Snake River but globally are a species of least concern, being prevalent in Japan, Russia, and Canada. Pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) is a cold-water fish, now becoming critically endangered in California, the southern extent of their range, but secure in British Columbia and Alaska. Chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta) have the largest natural range, from China to Canada, and the longest migrations of any Pacific salmon species. Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), also called King salmon or Quinnat salmon, are the largest and most commercially valuable salmon species in North American waters. Wild populations of Chinook are considered secure; New Zealand King salmon farms are considered among the most sustainable aquaculture on Earth.
Help! I heard wild salmon contain mercury. Why is there mercury in salmon?
Salmon contains less mercury than other fish species; however, mercury levels are elevated in all kinds of fish because of emissions from coal power plants and waste-to-energy incinerators. Power plants that burn solid fuel emit mercury into the air. This mercury pollution ends up in river, lake, and ocean sediments where it enters the food chain and bioaccumulates as bigger fish eat smaller fish. Due to their diet and feeding habits, tuna have much higher mercury levels than salmon; recent research indicates that mercury pollution will persist in tuna populations for many decades after the world stops burning coal and garbage for electricity.
Help! I heard eating wild-caught salmon is better for the environment than eating farmed salmon. Is that true?
Maybe. In general, populations of the Pacific salmon species (Coho, Sockeye, Pink, Chum, and Chinook) are in better shape than Atlantic salmon. But wild-caught salmon is from the Pacific Ocean, so if you’re living on the East Coast of the United States, it might make sense to buy farm-raised Atlantic salmon. Maine has no wild-caught salmon, but it does have several salmon farms. People living far from wild salmon populations can cut down on their meal’s food miles with farm-raised fish.
If you choose to eat farmed salmon rather than wild-caught, make sure it is certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
What’s Still Ahead on the Pathway…
Last year, we explored the pathway to sustainable movement, energy, and goods. Now, we’re exploring the pathway to sustainable food to transition from the standard American diet to a healthier-for-our-planet plant-centered diet and transition from industrial to regenerative agriculture. This action guide is the first of a three-part series on sustainable seafood. Stay with us on the journey to sustainability as we take action to have a positive impact on our world.
References and Further Reading
- Salmon — Main producers see record-breaking exports, Globefish / Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Behind the Scenes of the Most Consumed Seafood, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Wild Tuna Vs Farmed, Atuna.com
- Seafood Watch, Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Seafood Guides, Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Sustainable Salmon Guide, Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Sustainable Fish to Eat, Marine Stewardship Council
- Salmon, Marine Stewardship Council
- Learn more about salmon, Aquaculture Stewardship Council
- Seafood Guide, WWF
- Where are salmon most endangered?, United States Geological Survey
- Salmon for Maine’s Rivers, Department of Marine Resources, State of Maine
- Atlantic salmon, Wikipedia
- About Salmon Farming, Global Salmon Initiative
- Coho salmon, Wikipedia
- Sockeye salmon, Wikipedia
- Pink salmon, Wikipedia
- Chum salmon, Wikipedia
- Chinook salmon, Wikipedia
- Analysis of the Mercury Content in Fish for Human Consumption in Poland, Toxics
- Mercury in fish, Wikipedia
- An overview of mercury emissions in the energy industry — A step to mercury footprint assessment, Journal of Cleaner Production
- Stable Tuna Mercury Concentrations since 1971 Illustrate Marine Inertia and the Need for Strong Emission Reductions under the Minamata Convention, Environmental Science & Technology Letters
- Atlantic Salmon, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center
Originally published at https://sustainablepractice.substack.com.
