Salmon is a popular fish. Every day, many people use it to prepare a variety of dishes. Bright recognizable taste and high nutritional value have made salmon one of the most sought-after types of fish today - in terms of consumption, and salmon is in second place after tuna in the world. The ocean's resources are not enough to meet such a huge demand, so most fish consumed is grown on unique farms.
Conservation organizations make sure that the catch of wild fish and seafood remains at the same level since an increase in its volume will inevitably lead to an acute threat to the population's conservation. Therefore, wild salmon is moving into the premium segment of the fish and seafood market - it is found on the shelves much less often than farm salmon and is more expensive.
The largest population of wild Pacific salmon lives in the waters of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Here, fishing is strictly regulated not only by local regulatory organizations but also by international ones. Large companies, such as the Far East fishing plant "Vostochny Bereg/Bering Seafood," are cautious about the treasures of the Kamchatka Territory, where they operate.
How is farmed salmon grown?
Farm salmon is a well-known salmon and trout. The leading suppliers on the world market are Chile and Norway. These countries have an extensive coastline and favorable climatic conditions for organizing salmon farms. The Norwegians are the luckiest - the fjords protect the coast from storms, and the influx of fresh ocean water provides constant tides. Hundreds of farms are located in Norwegian coastal waters.
Farmed salmon production consists of two stages. First, in special tanks filled with fresh water, the fertilization and incubation of eggs take place. The fry that has appeared live in pools with fresh water until they get stronger. Then they are moved into saltwater in special nets located in coastal sea waters - this is the second stage of the production process. There, salmon lives practically without movement, receives food daily, and is caught when it reaches the desired weight.
Farm and wild salmon - benefits and harms to the body.
Oddly enough, many nutritionists and nutritionists question the positive effects of farmed salmon on our bodies.
First of all, this is because the fish does not have the opportunity to get their food. On farms, salmon eat special feeds, to which they add a considerable amount of chemicals - hormones, antibiotics, dyes, etc. Hormonal growth stimulants accelerate the process of gaining mass of fish - in just a year, salmon grows up to 5 kilograms in weight. For comparison, wild Kamchatka salmon grows up to 1-2 kg of weight in a year of its life.
Fish in natural conditions feed on phytoplankton and small crustaceans. Due to this diet, the meat has a red color. Farm salmon are fed mixed feed of small fish. They have nowhere to get astaxanthin's natural dye, so their heart is tinted. Manufacturers even provide a selection of custom colors for large international customers. The fan-shaped palette presents a range of shades - from hot pink to orange. Interestingly, European consumer prefers pink meat over deep orange.
Salmon in the wild swim thousands of kilometers in search of food. It is saturated with all trace elements and minerals of the ocean expanses. This fish is born in the purest full-flowing rivers of Kamchatka and then settles in the ocean to complete its life cycle in a few years by returning to spawn in the waters where it was born, leaving offspring and dying. Fishing for wild salmon at the Kamchatka enterprise "Vostochny Bereg/Bering Seafood" takes place just when the fish enters to spawn without gross interference with the natural life cycle of salmon.
The quality of farm raw materials is negatively affected by the considerable crowding of salmon in nets - in such conditions, and fish are often infected with parasites. When one individual is infected, the entire livestock is lost. To avoid this, they contain antibiotics in their feed. The extensive crowding of fish also affects the meat structure - it is fattier because the salmon on the aquafarm is practically immobilized.
In turn, wild salmon harvested by the Vostochny Bereg/Bering Seafood company contains many natural functional elements; its meat is environmentally friendly and low-fat. The company does not use dyes, preservatives, or other food additives in its production. Only fresh fish caught in Kamchatka rivers filled with melted glacial water. As early as 4 hours after the catch, the freshest fish is subjected to shock freezing and sent to the consumer in this form, retaining excellent taste and valuable properties.
Benefit and harm to the environment.
The environmental agenda is very relevant in our time - activists and ecological organizations regularly draw our attention to factors that adversely affect the environment. The population of wild salmon in Kamchatka waters may be under threat. And it would seem that growing salmon on farms is a logical way out of the situation. The salmon on the farm is protected from poachers and is under constant surveillance. In addition, regular supplies of artificially grown fish make poaching unprofitable and pointless. But there is another side to the coin - salmon farms pollute the ocean, and environmentalists are highly concerned. Firstly, the chemicals that are added to feed contaminate the entire water area; secondly, farmed salmon often "escape" and interbreed with wild fish, which leads to gene mutation; thirdly, infectious diseases and parasites, which are very common on farms, are transferred to wild salmon populations by "escaped" brothers from the farm.
These factors call into question the benefits of active farming and consumption of farmed salmon. But in the end, the choice is up to the consumer. Pay more for natural, wild-raised salmon from the Vostochny Bereg/Bering Seafood plant, or purchase an "artificial analog" at a lower price.
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