Sea cages are crowded and often break open. The ocean-farmed escapees interbreed with wild Atlantic salmon, polluting their gene pool and making it harder for the wild species to survive.5
Additionally, chemicals and antibiotics used in sea cages leach into the ocean, harming surrounding wildlife and ecosystems.2,6
QUESTIONS? Ask our AI assistant. All sources have been vetted by scientists and wild Atlantic salmon advocates.
health
SOME OCEAN-FARMED SALMON HEALTH CLAIMS ARE FISHY.
Today, roughly 70% of all salmon sold — and 99% of Atlantic salmon7 — is farmed in overcrowded sea cages, where waste and fecal matter cloud the water. These fish are fed unnatural diets and often promoted with misleading labels like “organic” and “sustainable.”
Not all labels are created equal. Take “organic,” for example. It may suggest USDA Organic certification.
But in fact, there is no federally approved organic standard for salmon farming in the United States8, meaning that “organic salmon” on store shelves carries no official guarantee from the USDA, though they may have organic certification in their country of origin, such as Canada or the European Union.
Contaminant levels in ocean-farmed salmon can also be higher than in wild salmon.
Contaminant levels in farmed salmon can be higher than in wild salmon.
Trace amounts of the pesticides and other chemicals used in sea cages can be found in the flesh of ocean-farmed salmon.9 Some antibiotics used in ocean salmon farming are also important to human medicine, intensifying global concerns about the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.6 The World Health Organization identifies antibiotic resistance as a threat to global health.10
Ocean-farmed salmon can absorb and retain higher levels of harmful pollutants than wild salmon. This is because they are fattier than their wild counterparts, and many toxic chemicals dissolve easily in fat.11 In fact, their nutritional profile includes more than double the amount of saturated fats found in wild salmon.12
There are healthier and cleaner ways to get omega-3s. Good sources include chia and hemp seeds, walnuts, mussels, mackerel, sardines and anchovies.13
SUSTAINABILITY
INDUSTRY RAISES TONS OF FISH — AND RED FLAGS.
It takes tons of smaller fish to feed and fatten up ocean-farmed salmon.14 This contributes to the industry’s large carbon footprint because the giant trawlers needed to haul in those fish require enormous amounts of fuel.
Coastal communities that rely on tourism and sustainable fishing practices take an economic hit when sea cages are installed nearby.15
ANIMAL WELFARE
Conditions in sea
cages are inhumane by any measure.
Each year, millions of farmed salmon die prematurely from viruses and parasitic infections.16
The sea cages also serve as a breeding ground for sea lice17 that swarm the fecal-infested cages and literally eat the salmon alive, despite ongoing treatment with antibiotics and pesticides.
FOOD INSECURITY
tHE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY DIVERTS PROTEIN FROM LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES.
440
estimated number of smaller wild-caught fish required to raise a single ocean-farmed salmon before harvest.18
Giant trawlers off the coast of Africa haul in tons of small fish that are ground into pellets. 90% of these fish, including sardines and mackerel, could serve as a vital source of protein for people in lower-income countries.18
