Thanks--I've been buying Norwegian farm raised--in my head--I thought that would be better--I mean Europeans seem to do everything health related better than us. I will look for USA now.

I don't like their texture or flavor and I won't buy it. I read somewhere that they are fed red dye to give their flesh the bright pink color that salmon are known for; it's necessary to do this because of something to do with the conditions under which they are raised. Not enough exercise perhaps? I can't recall what exactly the reason was at the moment.

I tend to buy wild caught salmon, but will sometimes buy farmed salmon from places like Northern Europe or Canada that tend to do it somewhat better than, say, Ecuador. I do think northern European farmed salmon is SOMETIMES raised better than US farmed salmon.

But when the budget permits: wild caught is my choice.

I posted this in the duplicate post originally and moved it here because I think it's a great question with a really important answer.

My husband's primary doctor is a holistic doctor (and Internist) who is really into eating the healthiest of foods possible. He has my husband on a diet that focuses on this premise to help build his immune system (which helps to keep him healthy while in remission). The first thing he told my husband was DO NOT EAT FARMED FISH ever and this article is really good at explaining some of the reasons why. Dangers of Farmed Fish Just like a lot of the beef and chicken out there, the meat of farmed fish is saturated with antibiotics.

It's great that you want to include Salmon in your diet, just make sure you only buy Salmon that is wild caught from places like Alaska. By law the origin of all fish has be to be available on the label and they always say, farmed or wild caught. Also, it will be a light pink color as opposed to the reddish pink color used to dye the farmed salmon. Costco has some Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon that is reasonably priced in it's frozen section.

Costco dumped Chilean farmed salmon in favor of Norwegian not too long ago. The issue may have been the use of antibiotics and possibly also pollution. Europe does have higher food production and wholesomeness standards than the US does, but I note that farmed salmon, even from Norway, remains with a black mark on the Monterey Bay Aquarium list. They're sometimes a bit more academic and militant than I think they ought to be but they do a good service offering their positions as guidance. They obviously have some gripe, whether their reaction is proportional or not is hard to know. I don't think salmon is farmed in Ecuador, the water may be too warm in its equatorial location.

Personally, I prefer wild Alaskan salmon. Note it's almost time for Copper River Salmon. It has a short season that seems to last about one month, starting in mid-May. It's by far the most delicious of the types. Look for it, it's quite special. Supplies run out fast.

annieg, I'm not sure that eating anything 3X a week is a good idea. If you want to break it up and wild salmon filets are too hard on your budget, try canned salmon. Alaskan salmon is a very clean product, the fisheries are managed for sustainability, and all Alaskan canned salmon is wild caught. Try it as salmon cakes, panko crumbs with an egg in the mix. Can be made to taste almost like crab cakes, it's very good.

I love Salmon! BUT, since all the salmon I could find here for a long time, was caught near Argentina, processed in Norway, and sold in the US!!! Way to much shipping it around in my opinion.

guess, it might be time to check again, what I can find here.

Moni

I didn't realize there were two farmed fish threads going. I answered on the other one. Oh well, still some gremlins at work on Houzz ;)

I think I somehow posted the same thread twice. Oops. Sorry.

It may not have been you, a few have had the same happen in the last few days.

I only eat wild caught. I've noticed the canned salmon at Trader Joes is wild caught in case anyone likes to make salmon patties.

I believe all canned salmon from Alaska is wild.

The farming of finfish is prohibited in Alaska. There are aquatic farms for shellfish - oysters, mussels, clams.

Copper River salmon isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's good, but to me, not worth the price. My favorite salmon is regular Alaskan sockeye. I find it more flavorful.

I looked it up, the Copper River run includes the three major commercial types - King, Sockeye and Coho. What I read said that the fish caught in the Copper River area tend to have a higher fat content and that influences the flavor and texture.

I myself prefer King (Chinook), whether from Copper River or elsewhere in Alaska, and get it when I'm shopping for salmon and it's available I think the Copper River salmon I've had in past years seemed to have a milder and sweeter flavor, which I like better. I know you Pac Norwesterners know your salmon, but to each his own preference.

My fish monger says Copper River is extreme hype (delicious, tho) because there are other runs in similar rivers that are equal in quality and flavor. It became a cult thing some time ago (I remember first getting it in the late 1970's here) and is hyped to the hilt. I suppose if you live somewhere that it's the only really top quality fresh salmon available (because of the hype = demand) then it's probably superior to what else is available. I feel lucky to have access to other, equally high quality fresh salmon, so would never pay the price just for the label.

eta, and no, I would never eat farmed salmon or other fish. I do eat farmed mussels though because my close friend owns a mussel farm and I can get them the same day they are harvested.

Nope. Only USA wild salmon (and shrimp.) Do the research about farm raised, even in the US. It's scary (especially farm raised in other countries.)

And farm raised, even in the US, tilapia is questionable. Do the research.

I think we get lots of good salmon in the Bay Area, olychick, including our own locally caught salmon, but I've been up your way enough to know it doesn't compare to what's known and available in the Puget Sound area. Even from the better stores, it's rare around here to see wild salmon branded with anything other than type and origin (usually Alaska if not local). Maybe if I thought it more important, I could pay attention to following when neighboring regions have their commercial fishing periods, if different, but it isn't a big deal for me. For the three or four times we'll buy Copper River during the short season, I can afford to pay for the hype, if that's what it is.

I'm in the Puget Sound area too (Seattle), and enjoy fishing for my own salmon. I know it's fresh, wild, and not farmed. And there's something primal about catching your own dinner - lol. I caught a 54 lb halibut last year on the back side of Whidbey Island, and had fish in my freezer for months. I had so much meat that I gave a lot of it away.

Salmon fishing seasons starts soon! I actually started that idea as my husband preferred trout fishing. We went looking for salmon one day and after he tasted them ( marinated and grilled ) he raved about salmon. I think he only ever had the canned variety. :-( We catch pink salmon at about 250' depth in Lake Superior. There is also Chinook but I haven't landed one yet. Great fun, great exercise, great eating. Soon you all will get stuck looking at the photos :-)

We only eat fresh fish, NEVER farmed. Ew!

Prefer wild or local to farmed. But you'll pay for it, unless you're like sephia or elizabeth. High-quality fish isn't cheap, alas.

I prefer king to coho, although occasionally we've lucked out and found a good piece of coho filet.

I like Aldi but there are things I won't buy there. Their "wild caught" salmon is processed in China! You really need to read very closely these days...

I can't even buy fish at a market anymore. They smell and they should have no odor at all.

I also purchase 'farmed' chicken, 'farmed' pork and 'farmed' beef. I cannot taste any difference from wild caught.

I won't buy it, and I can't afford to buy fresh wild-caught, so I buy canned--red salmon.