Fish and Seafood

Fact Sheets

Farmed Salmon

Farmed Salmon
Atlantic Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
Salmo salar, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Oncorhynchus kisutch

Industry History

Salmon farming began in the 1960s in Norway and Scotland where the techniques grew out of those used for salmonid enhancement in wild stocks. Rather than releasing the salmon for a portion of their life cycle, aquaculturists looked for ways to retain the fish, growing them in pens close to shore so they could be harvested easily and delivered quickly to markets that were ready and willing to pay a premium price for fresh salmon.

Salmon farming began in Canada in the 1970s as entrepreneurs sought - and discovered - areas similar to the deep waters and protected bays of the Norwegian fjords. On the East Coast, salmon aquaculture began in New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy where the flushing action of twice-a-day 28-foot tides coupled with pristine waters and protected sites made for almost perfect conditions. On the West Coast, salmon farming (starting with chinook, coho and sockeye) was first established around the town of Sechelt on what is known as the Sunshine Coast. While the New Brunswick industry has successfully developed around the Bay of Fundy, the British Columbia industry had such problems with water temperature and algae blooms that by the mid-'80s many companies had left the Sunshine Coast altogether, relocating to more remote sites on Vancouver Island. At about the same time, B.C. farmers began culturing Atlantic salmon in an effort to capitalize on the demand created by Norwegian and Scottish farmed salmon. Atlantic salmon now accounts for more than 90 per cent of British Columbia's farmed-salmon production.

Once established, the industries on both coasts grew rapidly with the help of European venture capital. Large-scale consolidations occurred in 1989 when huge increases in world salmon production drove prices down 30-40 per cent. Just when the industry seemed poised to grow again, federal and provincial governments placed moratoria on new farm licences which effectively prevented further expansion of operations while environmental assessments were carried out. Various studies conducted in different provinces have shown that the industry is efficiently managed and a model for environmental sustainability.

Despite its inability to expand, the Canadian farmed-salmon industry managed to increase production almost every year. The provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland also entered the business, producing Atlantic salmon and steelhead trout. Salmon aquaculture is now a major industry in Canada, operating year round and creating wealth and jobs in coastal communities. Salmon farming is one of New Brunswick's largest food industries while farmed salmon has become British Columbia's most significant agricultural export. Many companies are now vertically integrated operations, running fish farms and hatcheries, raising brood stock, transporting and processing fish, conducting research and marketing their product internationally. Canada is now the world's fourth-largest farmed-salmon producer, after Norway, Chile and the United Kingdom.

After a decade of review and assessment, provincial and federal governments are convinced of the industry's safe environmental record and are licensing new sites in both British Columbia and New Brunswick.

Production

In a salmon-farming operation, every aspect of production is controlled so that only the very best fish enter the market. Salmon eggs are collected in the fall and incubated at varying water temperatures. In late winter or early spring, they hatch as sac fry. They begin to feed on special starter diets and are kept in tanks designed for feeding. In late spring they are graded for uniformity and size and transferred to rearing tanks where they feed throughout the summer. In the fall they are graded again to select potential smolt. In the spring they are transferred to saltwater and placed in sea cages - net enclosures supported by floating frames made of plastic, steel and aluminum. They are fed a special diet until they reach market size, between eight and ten pounds. It takes 20 months after hatching for an Atlantic salmon to grow to market size.

In the wild, salmon feed on a variety of fish and crustaceans, a diet that produces the rich orange colour of their flesh. Farmed salmon are fed a diet that closely replicates what they would be eating in the wild. Because they are fed processed, heat-treated and pelletized food, farmed salmon rarely have the anisakis roundworms which often infect wild salmon.

Description

The Atlantic salmon is a silver-skinned fish with distinct black spots over the body and head and above the lateral line. The flesh is bright orange or pinkish-orange in colour. Farmed Atlantics have a mild flavour; the meat is moderately firm and oily with a large moist flake.

Chinook (the name "spring salmon" is never applied to farmed fish of this species) are noted for having black gums and small, round spots on the back, dorsal fin and both upper and lower parts of the tail. The flesh is red, never pink, and has a rich, buttery taste with a more delicate texture than other species due to the high oil content.

Coho are silver with small black spots on the back and on the upper lobe of the tail; the gums are white. Coho flesh is reddish-orange - similar in colour to that of Atlantics - redder than chum flesh but paler than chinook. When cooked, the meat is moderately firm and flakes well. "Pan-sized" coho (fish harvested at two-to-three pounds) have a very delicate flavour.

The flesh of all three species is translucent, becoming opaque when cooked but retaining colour. The degree of colour present is determined by the amount of pigment present in the feed. All salmon have a high fat content and are rich in beneficial Omega-3s, the long-chain fatty acids believed to have many health benefits, including reducing the potential for heart disease, reducing high blood pressure, reducing kidney and bowel disorders, reducing neurological dysfunction (such as depression, schizophrenia, memory loss, Alzheimer's disease), reducing inflammatory and auto-immune disorders, and facilitating weight loss.

Nutritional Profile

	(per 100 grams or 3.5 oz. cooked Atlantic salmon meat)	(per 100 grams or 3.5 oz. smoked Atlantic salmon meat)
Energy	124 kcal or 594 kj	220 kcal or 930 kj
Protein	19.5 g	21.3 g
Fat	6.3 g	13.1 g
Saturated fats	1.0 g
Sodium	44.0 mg	737 mg (varies)
Cholesterol	55 mg
Omega 3	1.4 g

Product Forms

Most farmed salmon is sold fresh head-on, dressed into the North American market in order to give the buyer maximum flexibility in meeting consumer demand. However, Canadian farmed-salmon processors are fully equipped to process their product in any one of a number of forms - fresh, frozen or smoked; whole, steaked or filleted (skin-on or skinless, pinbones in or out). A small (but growing) amount of farmed salmon is also canned, and there is an emerging value-added industry that is producing a variety of new and exciting products such as salmon paté salmon kabobs, marinated and peppered salmon steaks.

Preparation

Fillets of any of the species of farmed salmon are pleasing to the eye and delicate to the taste. Chinook has the most full-bodied flavour; Atlantics and coho are very similar in taste. Preparations that show off the colour and accentuate the unique flavour work best. Poaching, broiling or baking are all perfect cooking methods for these fish. The flesh is sturdy enough for the barbecue and tasty enough to stand up under almost any sauce. Like any food, salmon suffers from over-cooking; the fish is cooked when the flesh loses its translucency and becomes opaque. Farmed salmon can also be a key ingredient in cold delicacies such as mousses and terrines, salads and sandwiches, marinades and hors-d'oeuvres.

Smoked salmon has gone from being a gourmet item only the wealthy could afford to being a treat that can fit into almost any budget. The explosive growth of the global farmed-salmon industry has single-handedly made smoked salmon accessible to middle-class consumers everywhere and they are eating it up - in bisques, quiches and chowders, on pizzas and bagels, in salads and dips, and in dozens of other applications. Smoked salmon is versatile, festive, and easy to use - a touch of elegance at a very affordable price. Smokers and consumers alike appreciate the consistency of the product and the availability of supply. All three species of farmed salmon are used for smoking.

Safety and Wholesomeness Assured

Canada has one of the world's most comprehensive and respected fish inspection and control systems. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sets the policies, requirements and inspection standards for fish products, federally registered fish and seafood processing establishments, importers, fishing vessels, and equipment used for handling, transporting and storing fish. All establishments which process fish and seafood for export or inter-provincial trade must be federally registered and must develop and implement a Quality Management  Program (QMP) plan based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) principles. A processing establishment's QMP plan outlines the controls implemented by the fish processor to ensure that all fish products are processed under sanitary conditions, and that the resulting products are safe and meet all regulatory requirements. Canada's fish-inspection and control system contributes to Canada's worldwide reputation for safe, wholesome fish and seafood products. Buyers can be assured that seafood from Canada will continue to meet the increasingly rigorous safety and wholesomeness standards required by the world's major seafood markets.  

In reference to recent media reports concerning contaminants in various foods, Health Canada's risk assessment indicates that consuming farmed salmon does not pose a health risk to consumers.

While no amount of contaminants in our food supply is desirable, Health Canada researches and determines levels at which a contaminant does not pose a risk to human health. Fish and many other foods are tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for contaminants, including PCBs. The results are compared with Health Canada-established standards for safe levels. Health Canada's guideline for PCBs in fish is 2 parts per million (ppm). This guideline was set taking into consideration other dietary exposure and consumption over a lifetime. The guideline is consistent with that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

For more information:

• Health Canada fact sheet
• World Health Organization's fact sheet 

Suppliers

NOTE: These processors are volume wholesalers and are not usually set up to deal directly with consumers.

List of Canadian farmed salmon suppliers

Related Sites

• Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance
• Oceans and Marine Fisheries Division (OMFD) Government of British Columbia
• British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association
• Agriculture and Aquaculture Government of New Brunswick
• New Brunswick Salmon Growers Association
• Fisheries and Aquaculture Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Fisheries and Aquaculture Government of Nova Scotia
• Aquaculture Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Salmon of the Americas