BUSINESS
Use our resources to learn more about sustainable seafood.
Photograph by David Doubilet, National Geographic
Discussion Ideas
- Where are the sources world’s “most sustainable” sources of Atlantic salmon?
- According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, some of the most sustainable sources of Atlantic salmon are:
- Shepherdstown, West Virginia
- Hvide Sande, Denmark
- Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
- Download your local Seafood Watch guide here!
- According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, some of the most sustainable sources of Atlantic salmon are:
- Why might those sources come as a surprise?
- Well, Atlantic salmon are only indigenous to one of those locations—the Danish coast. Vancouver Island is in the Pacific Ocean, a continent away from the Atlantic, while Shepherdstown is about 100 miles from the coast.
- Few sustainable, economically successful fish farms are located indoors. Click here to learn more about Atlantic salmon fisheries from the good folks at NOAA.
- Take a look at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s guide to Fishing and Farming Methods. Skip to the middle of the page, which addresses aquaculture. What type of aquaculture methods do you think the U.S., Canadian, and Danish fish farms use?
- All three enterprises use sophisticated variations of the recirculating system described below. (Read more from The Conservation Fund, Langsaand Laks, and Kuterra.)
- All three enterprises use sophisticated variations of the recirculating system described below. (Read more from The Conservation Fund, Langsaand Laks, and Kuterra.)
- The TIME article says the salmon farms have “succeeded in “eliminating the usual concerns about fish farming.” What are some environmental risks to large-scale, commercial fish farming?
- risk of farmed fish escaping and mating with wild populations
- risk of excess fish waste contaminating the natural environment
- risk of exposing wild animals to new diseases
- excess use of water resources
- excess use of feeder fish
- What are some economic obstacles to large-scale, commercial fish farming?
- expense of sustaining technology, equipment, and infrastructure:
- controlling water temperature
- controlling oxygen content
- controlling pH levels
- providing food and nutrients
- adjusting water turbidity and other environmental conditions
- one salmon farmer reportedly told a Norwegian paper that farming salmon on land was as foolish as raising pigs at sea!
- expense of sustaining technology, equipment, and infrastructure:
- What are some advantages to indoor fish farming, as opposed to ocean-based fish farming (not wild-caught)?
- fish grow faster
- in a more controlled environment, fewer fish die
- less need for vaccinations and antibiotics
- fish waste is rich in nutrients and can be sold as a soil fertilizer
- How do you think large-scale, commercial Atlantic salmon farming (both indoor and outdoor) competes with large-scale, commercial fishing for wild Atlantic salmon? This Atlantic salmon guide from the good folks at NOAA might help.
- Trick question—there is no competition. Commercial fishing for Atlantic salmon is illegal.
Photograph by Peter Steenstra, National Conservation Training Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
This week is Geography Awareness Week, celebrating the Geography of Food! This week, our Current Event Connection will focus on Food in the News, exploring food as a dynamic, diverse interconnection between health, politics, the environment, and business.
TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT
TIME: You Won’t Believe the Source of the World’s Most Sustainable Salmon
Nat Geo: sustainable fishing
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Seafood Watch Consumer Guides
Omega 3 fatty acids work well for healthy heart muscles In addition, salmon is very useful in reducing saturated fat also. Researchers say that the protein content of salmon is very high compared to other fish.
a barramundi can also; live in fresh or salt water. but like warmer water . we , would not need fish farms. if the goverment stopped letting cruise size ships rake and target one speices of fish like cod or orange roughy. more expenisve.fish , will always be caught more. then other fish. they will even dumb other fish , too keep the ones that are worth ,more per, kilo. makes me sick.