but first, did you know there are six different species of salmon? In the U.S., there are: Chinook (or “King”) The Atlantic species can also be called “Scottish”, “Norwegian”, or “Canadian”.

Farm-raised salmon from Norway is raised in its natural habitat and not a cramped pool of fish swimming on top of each other. The ratio of the pens in the fjord is 97.5% water to 2.5% salmon. Farm-raised salmon from Norway is able to have much more control to prevent disease and mortality.

“Ninety-seven per cent of the salmon we eat in Sweden is farmed and from Norway. Farmed salmon are fed food that contains heavy metals and toxins. Tens of thousands of tonnes of pesticides are used to combat diseases and pests. In addition, the fish farms themselves kill shellfish and cause eutrophication.”

Now, you should know that Norwegian salmon is very different from Japanese salmon. It doesn’t carry any parasites and it’s perfectly safe to eat raw.

In a statement, the Council declares that several of Norway’s food safety bodies quite clearly state that farmed salmon is safe as a food. “The Directorate of Health also recommends eating more fish, preferably two to three days per week and often also as toppings.

Norwegian smoked salmon is distinguished by its peachy-pink color, leaner – since it has less fat, some attribute it less taste- and is has a more densely smoky flavor than the Scottish variety, with a more intense aroma. The texture is silky smooth, a little on the oily side, with a flavor that is subtly salty.

Overseas consumers certainly agree – Scottish salmon is the United Kingdom’s number-one food export, with France, the United States and China topping the list of 47 countries that imported 94,000 tonnes of the fish in the first six months of 2019. Scottish salmon is widely regarded as the best in the world.

One of the world’s leading seafood publications, Seafood International, asked 20 buyers from 10 countries to pick the best farmed salmon producing country based on superior taste, quality and appearance. Scottish salmon topped the poll with seven votes, Norway was second with six and Canada was third with two.

According to the Norway Seafood Council, Norway is the second-largest exporter of seafood worldwide. The country is famous for its salmon as it has developed ocean-farmed Norwegian salmon with strict regulations in terms of its environment and feeding methods.

The Supply Chain Drives the Price of Salmon Up But when it comes to salmon, the costs are most extreme. Wild salmon are very difficult to catch, therefore, catching them is expensive. Even farmed salmon are very expensive to raise and harvest- making them expensive.

Salmon farming But in terms of Atlantic Salmon, most of it isn’t caught in the wild at all. In fact, over 60% of the salmon that we eat is farmed and a large percentage of that is farmed in Norway. Since the mid-80s, Norway has been the world’s single largest producer of farmed salmon.

Every summer, there are about 100,000 anglers in about 450 Norwegian rivers. The largest watercourse that holds Atlantic salmon is the Tana river in Finnmark, with over 372 miles. At the other end of the scale you find the Akerselva river in Oslo, with 1.4 miles.

Pacific salmon

Like wild fish, ocean-farmed salmon’s diet is made with ingredients found naturally in the ocean. Norwegian Salmon feed pellets contain about 50% marine raw materials—such as fish oil and fishmeal from sustainable fish stocks and fish not suitable for human consumption—and 50% vegetable material, such as vegetable oil.

Atlantic salmon

Something Fishy: The Trouble with Atlantic Salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Fish farms boost the risks of sea lice infestations, chemicals in the water, and accidental spills that leave native fish floundering. “Atlantic salmon are in the Pacific Ocean, and these fish don’t belong there,”​ she says.

The latest Seafood Watch guide produced by the Monteray Bay Aquarium has rated Scottish salmon from Orkney as a ‘Good Alternative’, largely resulting from naturally low sea lice levels[2]. Other farmed Atlantic salmon including GlobalGAP and GAA BAP are rated as ‘don’t eat too often’ by the Good Fish Guide.

Contamination. Today, most of the salmon available for us to eat is farmed. Early studies reported high levels of PCBs and other contaminants in farmed salmon – higher than in some species of wild salmon, such as pink salmon. Studies on salmon from these sources have shown low levels of organic contaminants in the fish …

Farmed salmon is lighter and more pink, while wild has a deeper reddish-orange hue. Farmed fish will also a lot more fatty marbling in its flesh—those wavy white lines—since they aren’t fighting against upstream currents like wild ones.