Not All Farmed Salmon is Bad

Contributed by Elaine Masters

The idea of eating farmed fish has seen a turn-around recently. The demand for healthy fish and sustainable practices has introduced diners to some delicious, very healthy and responsibly grown seafood choices that just happen to be farmed.

Any visit to New Zealand’s South Island is bound to be spectacular. Lakes near Mt. Cook are startling with their luminous and opaque turquoise blue water. No picture does it justice. The glacial minerals and silt cause the opacity and imbue the water with nutrients. These are the waters where Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is farmed. The company is proud that their water is as pure going into the farm as it is leaving it. They use premium feed from the South Pacific and the fish grow fit in the pristine, swiftly moving, glacial waters far from human or agricultural run-off. This ensures fish with high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and less intramuscular fat than ocean-reared salmon.

The original stock was imported from the Pacific Northwest and raised in New Zealand without antibiotics, GMOs, and in water that’s free from heavy metals and chemicals. Catalina Offshore Products has been offering this salmon over the last couple of years and customers rave.

And it’s not just the exquisite taste or texture that makes this farmed salmon desirable. “Seafood is likely the single most important food one can consume for good health.” says Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard School of Public Health. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, eating seafood twice a week may pr otect the heart against potentially deadly cardiac rhythm disturbances, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and improve blood vessel function. Subsequent research by Harvard scientists has also found that the health benefits of both farmed and wild salmon exceed any potential risks.

Elaine Masters is a seafoodie, freelance travel writer, blogger/vlogger and podcast host.