Farm Raised Salmon Dangers

These freshwater fish migrate to sea and return to the freshwater for breeding purposes. Due to the healthy diet of the wild salmons, they are known to have rich nutritional value and bring benefits to human health. It is a good source of vitamin D, B12, niacin, selenium, B6, magnesium and most importantly omega-3 fats. These fatty acids cure and save humans from falling prey to many medical health conditions. Omega-3 fatty acids present in the fish prevent inflammation and even blood clots. Though there are many salmon health benefits, they are being farm-bred in many countries, which is now causing a lot of harm to the people consuming it. This article focuses on the risks involved in consuming farmed raised salmon than wild salmons.

Dangers of Farm-bred Salmon Fish

Contamination Due to PCB Content
There is high content of PCBs involved in farm-bred salmons. These PCBs contains 209 chlorinated compounds and are present in the fish meal that are fed to salmon fish in the process of their farming. PCBs have resulted in harmful health effects and therefore the US has banned its production. The salmon fish tend to consume PCBs due to its presence in the environment. As the salmon fish ingest PCBs through the food they eat, this harmful chemical spreads into their body too. Consumption of PCB salmon fish results into accumulation of the chemical in human body and leads to poor health conditions. One of the many health problems humans fall prey to is cancer. A lot of people all over the world consume salmon fish and production will continue to meet the global demands. Therefore, to reduce the exposure to these harmful chemicals, use different cooking methods, such as boiling, grilling and baking. Another good alternative is to trim the fat from the salmon fish before you begin to cook.

Fat Content
Out of the farm-bred salmon dangers, high content of fat too is causing health issues in humans. As they are raised in a packed environment, they have less room to move around, unlike wild salmon fish. Also the fat content in farm-bred fish is influenced due to the fish meal fed to them. As per the record, farmed salmon fish contains 52% more fat than wild ones. Also, continuous feeding results into PCB accumulation, which eventually settles as fat. Therefore, though these salmon fish look healthier, they are harmful and are contaminated due to overfeeding and accumulation of PCB.

Artificial Color
Salmon fish naturally have a pink color coating. Farm-bred fish lack this color out of contamination and improper diet. Therefore, in order to make these artificially grown fish look healthy and pink, farmers use chemicals such as canthaxanthin and astaxanthin. This adds to the contamination and increases the risk of more severe medical conditions. The artificially induced salmon pink color makes the fish look healthy and attracts consumers to purchase such fish. Induction of too many chemicals ultimately brings down the nutritional value of salmon fish.

Cost of Salmon Fish
Wild salmon fish is likely to cost more than the ones that are artificially raised. The methods used in producing these fish has resulted into a great business for many farmers. These fish are bred on a large-scale and therefore, its supply is sufficient to meet the requirement of the people. Though these fish are produced on a large-scale, their quality is way too cheap compared to the actual nutritional value of wild salmon fish. Now due to certain measures by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), many stores now specify whether the fish are farmed raised or wild. This step has made created awareness about the ill effects of farmed raised salmon fish and got people concerned about the salmon fish they purchase.

As these fish are fed contaminated fish meal, the harmful chemicals present in the fish meal are eventually consumed by the humans. Also, artificial coloring includes usage of chemicals. This farming method has brought down the nutritional value of salmon fish. Salmons that are known to be good for human health now pose a great threat and have deteriorated the health of many people. To reduce these health risks, new cooking methods must be adapted.