Salmon is one of the most popular healthy meats out there. The demand for salmon among consumers has risen significantly over the years, so to satiate the world’s hunger for this healthy fish, salmon farms have popped up all over the world. Much of the salmon available now is not wild caught, but farmed.
Salmon can either be farmed on land, or it can be ocean-farmed like ours. Ocean farming is a much better option over traditional net pens, because they use the natural environment of the salmon to produce their fish. If done properly, with high standards, and respect for the fish and the local environment, farming is just as healthy and nutritious as the wild caught option. In fact, farmed salmon can be even more beneficial for your health!
Today, we’ll be discussing the health benefits of farmed salmon over wild caught salmon!
Is Farmed Salmon Healthy?
Yes, farmed salmon is healthy as long as you are choosing farmed salmon that follows best practices for both breeding and caring for the fish. This ensures that your food isn’t full of environmental toxins or chemicals, hormones, or lacking in nutritional value. Unfortunately, not all fish farms are created equal. And due to a heavy reliance on imports, tracking individual practices of fish farms around the globe is tough. In fact, about 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported and more than half of that is farmed ( source ). So if you’re eating seafood in the US, there is a good chance it's farmed. And it’s super important to educate yourself as a consumer regarding where your food is coming from. Salmon farms, should follow high standards of care for their fish and always keep quality their top priority.
Nutritionally, whether farmed or wild, salmon is incredibly healthy.
Salmon is a great alternative to proteins high in saturated fats. Salmon is full of essential nutrients and has even been proven to improve your heart health, thyroid function, and even has some mental health benefits ( source ). Eating salmon has benefits for both women and men, & is safe and should be considered a top food choice for babies. You just have to choose your farmed salmon wisely!
How to find the most healthy & fresh farmed salmon:
Oshēn salmon ocean farms maintain the highest level of integrity when it comes to their fish, ensuring the fish are well-fed and bred sustainably! Both the environment and fish must be maintained with the best level of care. And with sustainable ocean farming methods like ours, salmon live in their natural habitat and can swim the real ocean currents of their environment!
With sustainable and natural processes in place with both farmed and wild salmon, you can feel good about making your choice to chow down on farm raised salmon. Additionally, eating salmon from farms has a multitude of additional health benefits!
Benefits of Farmed Raised Salmon
Eating farmed fish over wild caught salmon isn’t only permissible, but it’s better for you! Vitamins and minerals are packed in Oshēn’s farmed Atlantic salmon, and it comes with none of the risk of the wild caught variety. Here are some of the key benefits for farm raised salmon!
More Nutrient Dense
Wild salmon diets are unpredictable. Malnutrition and disease can plague wild salmon, whereas farmed salmon have well-regulated diets. Our salmon are well-fed with the best food combinations, so they never go hungry or experience exposure to disease. Because of all this, there are more nutrients in farmed salmon than wild caught salmon.
Higher Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
People eat salmon specifically because it reduces the risk of heart disease. The omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for heart and nervous system health, so the American Heart Association recommends a person eat fish at least twice a week!
Because of the unpredictable eating habits of wild caught salmon, omega-3 fatty acids are actually higher in farm salmon! This makes farm raised salmon better for your heart and brain.
No Mercury or Plastic Contaminants
With a wild caught salmon, you can’t really know where it’s been. Some waterways are plagued with plastic pollutants that are gobbled up by the shrimp and anchovies salmon feed on. Eating plastics is obviously bad for your body, causing hormone issues and other health problems.
Additionally, mercury poisoning is not uncommon with wild caught salmon. Mercury poisoning can cause serious health complications and with a wild salmon, you simply can’t know if what you’re buying is burdened with these dangerous toxins. Farmed salmon, however, doesn’t pose any of these risks because of the controlled environment.
More Calories, Proteins, and Fats
Farmed salmon have more calories, more proteins, and a higher fat content. This might not sound like a positive for your diet, but there are many diets out there that demand high fat, high protein, and high calorie foods. Individuals recovering from certain injuries or surgeries may need this diet, and so do people suffering with cancer. AIDS, and HIV.
The extra calories, proteins, and fats will help you feel more energized, build muscle, and heal from a number of ailments! In this category, wild and farm salmon have an equal advantage depending on what diet you’re pursuing!
Better Regulated
Again, with wild caught salmon, you simply can’t be sure of what you’re getting and where it’s from. The Food and Drug Administration closely monitors farmed salmon and these farms hold high standards for their sustainability and environmental impact.
Here at Oshēn, we follow “Best Aquaculture Practices” (BAP), which is a comprehensive end-to-end certification verifying the right thing is happening at each step of production. Our salmon have a diet of all-natural feed that is free from steroids or hormones, and our facilities operate on only renewable energy, making our salmon the best choice for you and your family.
Farmed salmon is not only a trustworthy way of raising salmon, but it provides several benefits over the wild caught alternative.
Farmed salmon, whether traditionally farmed or ocean farmed like ours, has great health benefits and reduces the risk of present pollutants and toxins. You just have to do some digging to make sure the company responsible for farming your salmon is following the highest standards and best practices. Salmon is a delicious and sought-after food, and you don’t have to feel guilty about how you eat it! Check out our salmon packages to experience for yourself high-quality ocean farmed Atlantic salmon!
Want to try Oshēn Salmon? For 15% off your order at Oshēn Salmon, use code FRESH. Know that you’re getting the highest quality fish delivered straight to your doorstep, raised sustainably, responsibly, and guaranteed fresher than any retailer.
