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n. 1
99% of THE ATLANTIC salmon CONSUMED GLOBALLY is farmed in industrial
sea cages.
There are seven species of salmon in the world, but when it comes to what people eat the most, farmed Atlantic salmon dominates. This wildly popular product, 99% of which is farmed in the ocean, makes up a large majority of all salmon consumed (70% is farmed Atlantic; most of the remaining 30% is wild Pacific).
To feed the hunger for salmon, hundreds of industrial salmon farms have set up operations off Norway, Scotland, Iceland, Atlantic Canada, British Columbia, Chile, the U.S. and Tasmania over the past 50 years.
These farms consist of sea cages – enormous mesh pens that retain up to 200,000 fish each while permitting water to circulate. These farms can be highly lucrative for the companies that operate them, churning out millions of tons of salmon every year. But below the surface, they are churning out much more than that: Waste, excess feed, chemicals and diseases flow from the cages directly into surrounding marine environments, degrading water quality and harming wild fish populations.
To feed the hunger for salmon, hundreds of industrial salmon farms have set up operations off Norway, Scotland, Iceland, Atlantic Canada, British Columbia, Chile, the U.S. and Tasmania over the past 50 years.
These farms consist of sea cages – enormous mesh pens that retain up to 200,000 fish each while permitting water to circulate. These farms can be highly lucrative for the companies that operate them, churning out millions of tons of salmon every year. But below the surface, they are churning out much more than that: Waste, excess feed, chemicals and diseases flow from the cages directly into surrounding marine environments, degrading water quality and harming wild fish populations.
n. 2
Wild salmon numbers decline where sea cages operate.
Wherever the aquaculture industry goes, death, disease and pollution tend to follow. And wild salmon are the first to suffer irreversible consequences, the first domino to fall in a chain reaction of environmental harm.
Since the late 1980s, wild salmon catches and abundance have declined dramatically in the North Atlantic and in much of the northeastern Pacific south of Alaska. In these areas, there has been an accompanying increase in the production of farmed salmon.
Studies show that wild salmon near sea cages experience higher mortality rates and faster declines than wild salmon in other areas. That impact is directly linked to the size and number of nearby salmon farms.
As the industry has grown, wild population numbers have declined, and today there are significantly more salmon in captivity than in the wild.
Why does the continued survival of wild salmon matter? Read on...
Since the late 1980s, wild salmon catches and abundance have declined dramatically in the North Atlantic and in much of the northeastern Pacific south of Alaska. In these areas, there has been an accompanying increase in the production of farmed salmon.
Studies show that wild salmon near sea cages experience higher mortality rates and faster declines than wild salmon in other areas. That impact is directly linked to the size and number of nearby salmon farms.
As the industry has grown, wild population numbers have declined, and today there are significantly more salmon in captivity than in the wild.
Why does the continued survival of wild salmon matter? Read on...
n. 3
Wild salmon are pivotal to our planet’s health.
Wild salmon are among the world’s most crucial animals, serving as a keystone species, an indicator species for the planet’s overall health, and a bellwether of salmon farming’s negative impacts. They provide an endless bounty to more than 137 species of animals and plants, from orca whales and otters to native trees and human beings. They are critical to the health of three of Earth’s major ecosystems. Wild salmon runs function as enormous pumps that push vast amounts of nutrients and minerals into the land and water.
Wild salmon are, in significant and consequential ways, irreplaceable.
Wild salmon are, in significant and consequential ways, irreplaceable.
n. 4
Sea cages pollute our oceans and our plates.
Sea cages are a controversial component of salmon aquaculture. Alaska, Washington, and California in the U.S., as well as Argentina, have banned salmon farms, citing conclusive evidence that they are unsustainable as well as detrimental to wildlife, ecosystems and economies worldwide.
The ocean floor below sea cages is a toxic dump of feces and chemical residue that kills or infects marine life and land animals that feed on marine life in surrounding areas. Studies show that ocean-farmed salmon contain high concentrations of toxins, microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which are harmful to humans. They may be linked to a range of health problems, including chronic inflammation, cancer, thyroid disease, infertility, autism, antibiotic resistance, liver failure and lower IQs.
The ocean floor below sea cages is a toxic dump of feces and chemical residue that kills or infects marine life and land animals that feed on marine life in surrounding areas. Studies show that ocean-farmed salmon contain high concentrations of toxins, microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which are harmful to humans. They may be linked to a range of health problems, including chronic inflammation, cancer, thyroid disease, infertility, autism, antibiotic resistance, liver failure and lower IQs.
n. 5
Ocean-farmed salmon creates food insecurity.
The aquaculture industry promotes Atlantic salmon as an omega-rich solution to the world’s protein crisis, but it actually takes more protein to raise than it provides, and the reed requirements reduce food sources in developing nations. Each year, giant trawlers off the west coast of Africa haul in more than half a million tons of small fish. 90% of those fish could provide vital sustenance for people in Africa. Instead, those sardines, anchovies and mackerel are ground into fish meal, used in industries like salmon farming.
And yet there is no net gain of protein: It takes more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of wild-caught fish to produce one kilogram of ocean-farmed salmon. In other words, the salmon farming industry kills tons (and tons) of smaller fish to feed the fish it sells.
To learn more about how you can make better choices when it comes to salmon, check out this article.
And yet there is no net gain of protein: It takes more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of wild-caught fish to produce one kilogram of ocean-farmed salmon. In other words, the salmon farming industry kills tons (and tons) of smaller fish to feed the fish it sells.
To learn more about how you can make better choices when it comes to salmon, check out this article.
