Wild Caught Fish vs. Farm Raised Fish
Have you noticed that everything good for you is more expensive, even fish? Farm raised fish is what the majority of restaurants serve simply because it is a cheaper fish. Farm raised fish are housed in controlled farms across the country. They are packed in very little bins with thousands of other salmon and fed fish-meal pellets daily consisting of mostly other small fish bulking them up to be sold in the market. The question is: What are these other small fish feeding on? Studies have found that these fish-meal pellets are contaminated with PCB’s. PCB’s or Polychlorinated biphenyls are colorless and odorless chemicals widely used in electrical and chemical equipment which enters the environment through land, air and water. They are disposed of improperly. Some fish may also contain high enough levels that they are considered unsafe for human consumption. Most PCBs tend to build up primarily in fatty tissue in fish. Long term exposure to them can suppress the immune system.
Because the farm raised fish are jammed into these bins with other fish they don’t move around as much so there is a higher level of fat where as wild ocean caught fish are free to swim all over making it a leaner fish. Of course you need to research specific areas in the ocean where the water is cleaner. Wild caught fish have their natural color such as salmon. They get their color from being in the wild and eating a daily diet of natural food from the ocean. Farm raised salmon for example is given artificial colorings to make them more pleasing to the eye. Of course, any wild fish is more expensive per pound than farm raised. The FDA makes it mandatory for all packaged fish to specify if the fish is wild caught. So don’t assume it is wild caught if it not on the package. This information is to help you pick a healthier fish getting all of its benefits, like Omega 3’s. Although wild caught fish may be a greater expense to you, you get what you pay for. Your health is worth it. I use Vital Choice for all kinds of wild caught fish and I think it’s pretty reasonable. Check it out! Happy fishing!!!
