Farmed, Wild, Lab Grown, or Plant-Based: Which Salmon is Best?
If you’re seeking salmon, here are some things to consider when buying your catch.
The sight of wild salmon coursing upstream through a river during spawning season is one often used to convey the essence of wilderness through media; I’ve seen spawning salmon imagery in film, on TV, and even in a Geico commercial. However, it’s a sight that few Americans who consume salmon will ever see—and maybe that’s where the issue starts. Our removal from this primal origin of our food is pushing consumption rates to their limits.
Americans crave salmon; the salmon industry is valued at over $14 billion, and even in less-than-ideal economic scenarios, families are willing to fork over the approximate $13 to $23 per pound for this pricey but versatile fish. With consumption rates of salmon rising, the industry is growing volatile as it becomes clear that both wild-caught and farmed salmon cause environmental and economic issues.
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Salmon have been historically overfished, and they are now endangered in many of the rivers they used to flood during their annual migration. NOAA Fisheries determined in 2018 that five Pacific salmon stocks are now “overfished” and one stock is “subject to overfishing,” including Chinook and coho salmon.
In light of the environmental dangers of wild salmon, farmed salmon may sound like an ideal solution; propagating salmon to be eaten without being removed from the wild should both help populations and consumers, right? Sadly, farmed salmon is rarely ever environmentally neutral. In fact, the industry is incredibly destructive to wild marine life, even in well-managed operations. Organizations such as Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch have even noted that wild-caught salmon managed in a responsible way (the population is healthy, and the fishery has little or no impact on other marine life) is almost always a lesser environmental impact than farmed salmon.
In the US, all Atlantic salmon for sale are farmed fish, with no commercial fishing allowed for this species due to the dramatic drop in population size these salmon faced after previous overfishing. Unfortunately, farmed salmon are often a threat to wild salmon. But farmed salmon, kept in large nets in waterways, are prone to escaping—and when they escape, they’re more than ready to enjoy their limited lifespans and interbreed with their wild counterparts, negatively impacting the genetic composition and fitness of native salmon populations, and sometimes introducing diseases for which wild salmon aren’t prepared. Most farmed salmon in the US are produced in marine net pens intended to contain the salmon while utilizing natural waterflow; these systems inherently impact the environment. Even if no salmon were to escape, farmed salmon pollute the waters they inhabit with waste and chemicals used to combat disease and parasites.
What’s a salmon lover to do? Today’s shoppers are looking for new sources of salmon that won’t leave them feeling guilty when they clear their plates.
One of the rising solutions to the salmon dilemma is plant-based alternatives. Oshi is an up-and-coming brand of plant-based salmon, primarily made from soy and mycelium (a fungus usually found in blue cheese or salami).
Oshi’s salmon isn’t indistinguishable from real salmon, but its texture is very close, and it maintains a mild salmony flavor that blends into traditional salmon dishes. More importantly, Oshi’s salmon provides an option without the guilt of farmed salmon’s environmental harm. “Commercial fishing is a leading cause of overfishing, which threatens the biodiversity of our oceans, while fish farming often leads to pollution and habitat destruction,” says Ofek Ron, a representative of Oshi. “For those concerned about environmental impact, choosing plant-based salmon helps support efforts to reduce overfishing and protect marine ecosystems.” Currently, Oshi’s products are only available in local retailers around Seattle and farmer’s markets, but it has plans to expand the brand to retailers nationwide.
And, of course, there’s the most technologically advanced option for salmon lovers: lab-grown, cell-cultivated salmon. First, isolated cells are taken from juvenile Pacific salmon—a step that only needs to be completed once per species. Then, these cells are grown in large steel tanks resembling those found in breweries and fed proteins, fats, salts and minerals to help them grow. These authentic salmon cells are harvested and combined with several plant-based ingredients in order to lend them the flavor, texture and appearance of a traditional salmon filet. “While this method of making seafood may seem new, our technology would look familiar to anyone who’s visited a microbrewery,” says Justin Kolbeck, CEO of Wildtype, which produces cell-cultivated salmon. “We built our fishery in a former brewery that unfortunately didn’t make it through the pandemic. We repurposed and upgraded much of the equipment from the brewery including some mixing tanks, as well as the cooling and cleaning systems.”
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The color of farmed salmon comes from an additive in their feed.
Kolbeck notes that while Wildtype isn’t yet a perfect replica of a wild-caught salmon filet, it is continually improving, and the current product is quite nutritious. “We designed our salmon to provide the same level of omega-3 fats as the most pristine wild salmon,” says Kolbeck. “We’ve learned that consumers are increasingly concerned about their exposure to toxins through the food they consume. We can offer a nutritious and delicious seafood option without the associated risk of exposure to high levels of these contaminants.”
At the global level, fish consumption is projected to increase by 14.8 percent by 2030. It’s not clear how an already stretched-thin aquaculture industry will rise to meet these demands, particularly with more public pushback on environmental damage. However, in a world already struggling with global food insecurity, overfishing, and the uncertainty of climate change, continuing “the way things have always been” simply isn’t going to work. We shouldn’t expect either farmed or wild-caught salmon to go anywhere anytime soon. As the most widespread and economically friendly options, they will still be the first choice for most consumers. But we can expect to see new options make their way into consumer’s fridges and onto menus—and our oceans will certainly be better for it.
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