Farm Raised Versus Wild Fish - How to Tell the Difference

There is really nothing like a well-cooked Alaskanto accumulate and store these chemicals in your
salmon fillet. Now matter how it is prepared, thatbody. Wild-caught salmon possess none of these
succulent taste along with a light mixed salad is theharsh chemicals.
perfect, healthy alternative to a diet bombarded withAnother key difference is the overall fat content and
carbohydrates and meats. Many, however, are unablecolor between the two. Since salmon raised in farms
to tell the difference between farm-raised andare kept in crowded bins, similar to feed lots for
wild-caught salmon, which actually poses a problemcattle, the fish are unable to really move around.
since both appear to look, and in some aspectsBecause of this, they have a much higher fat
taste, alike. With careful analysis and a little consumercontent and are not as healthy as wild-caught salmon.
information, you will know which is which and whyWith regards to color, wild Alaskan salmon has that
wild Alaskan salmon is the better choice over farmtraditional, light-pink color that people love.
raised.Farm-raised salmon lack this pinkish hue and artificial
One of the biggest health concerns with farm-raisedcolorings and dyes are used to make the fish
salmon is the existence of PCBs, known asrepresent the wild Alaskan tint that consumers are
polychlorinated biphenyls. These are mixtures of 209used to.
different chlorinated compounds that were once usedThe one key difference out of this list that favors
as lubricants and coolants for transformers and similarfarm-raised over wild-caught salmon is market price.
electrical equipment. In 1977, however, the U.S.Normally, wild Alaskan salmon is a bit more expensive
government banned the manufacturing of PCBssince it was not mass-produced, it was found in the
because of their affect on the environment and thewild. Therefore, farm raised is the cheaper option,
fact that they can cause harmful effects to thebut it is obviously of lesser quality. The good news,
health of animals. Recent studies have shown thathowever, is that every package of salmon states
there are high concentrations of PCBs in the foodwhere it is from, due to an FDA regulation, so
pellets for farm raised salmon, so that the fishconsumers will always know exactly what they are
actually absorb and carry the chemicals with them.buying.
Thus, when you eat farm-raised salmon, it is possible