Fish lovers who enjoy the fine taste of wild ocean-run salmon can always taste the difference when confronted with the farm-raised variety. The term “ocean raised” is the new labeling camouflage for the inferior, less healthy farm-raised salmon. Don’t fall for it.

Quick snapshot of the differences due to different living environments. Wild salmon benefit from a wide-ranging diet, and a tremendous amount exercise. This gives wild salmon vital Omega 3′s (fatty acids, which help eliminate harmful hydrogenated fats), great taste and that rich orange color you’ve come to expect. Farm-raised salmon tend to be lower in Omega 3′s, higher in mercury, prone to disease and bland-tasting. A diet of pellets and crowded growing pens create the need for treatment with antibiotics and food coloring additives.

As far as Atlantic vs Pacific salmon — it can get a little tricky. Atlantic salmon is the “original salmon,” with its Pacific cousin only recently classified as a true salmon. Wild Atlantic salmon are a rare commodity, so most Atlantic salmon are farm-raised. The rivers of the northern Pacific coast still provide the relatively good spawning grounds required to maintain a sustainable population of wild-run fish, though this situation could change.

Salmon fish-farming practices are improving, and longterm, provide a sustainable fish resource. The practice is also responsible for introducing escaped fish into wild populations where they transmit disease and can genetically alter and weaken wild strains.

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