Target Nixes Farmed Salmon

The Beacon

Posted Thu, Jan 28, 2010 by emily to atlantic salmon, chile, farmed salmon, salmon aquaculture, Target, wild salmon

Offshore salmon pens in Chile. © Oceana/Eduardo Sorensen

In a blow to the salmon aquaculture industry, on Tuesday Target announced it will stop selling farmed salmon in favor of more environmentally sustainable wild-caught salmon in its fresh, frozen and smoked seafood sections.

With its announcement, Target -- the second largest retailer in the country behind Wal-Mart -- raises the profile of the slew of problems associated with farming one of the most popular seafood species.

In case you need a refresher on why farmed salmon is so deleterious to the environment and potentially public health, check out this post I wrote back in 2008.

In the U.S. Oceana is working to protect wild Pacific salmon, and in Chile, we are working to reduce the use of antibiotics in the industry, reduce salmon escapes and establish a marine protected area in Patagonia to defend its pristine ecosystems from the industry's southern push.

The Chilean salmon aquaculture industry, second in the world after Norway, is still reeling from an outbreak in 2007 of infectious salmon anemia (ISA), a nasty flu-like virus for which there is no remedy except to stop salmon production in affected areas.

As a result, only about a quarter of the salmon farms in Chile are currently operating, says Giuliana Furci, a Chilean salmon aquaculture expert.

But the Chilean government recently created new economic incentives for the industry to return to high production. "The lesson hasn't been learned," Furci said.

We still have a long way to go, but this decision is a good start. So kudos to you, Target.

emily's blog

4 Comments

David Loewen

February 13, 2010 - 16:11

one good step up, one step down

everyone has a bias... just like this site's bias, and my own site's bias:
www.salmonguy.org

just because there is bias doesn't mean the message should be lost. And, you are right in the complexity of the situation.

Yes, on one hand the decision by Target to get rid of farmed salmon is a good one. Yet, on the other hand the suggestion that Alaska has no aquaculture is green-washing.

Alaska releases over 1.5 billion baby salmon every year from salmon ranching operations. Those baby salmon never see a stream (at least in theory). They are raised in net pens in bays (just like farmed salmon), are fed fishmeal (just liked farmed salmon) from unsustainable fisheries in other parts of the planet.

When released to the Pacific ocean they compete against wild salmon - when they return, they are caught by commercial fisheries. However, many migrate upstream impacting the genetic diversity of wild stocks.

The Marine Stewardship Council has certified Alaskan salmon as a "sustainable, well managed fisheries". Yet in areas such as Prince William Sound over 90% of the salmon come from salmon ranching operations. In total it's between 40-60% of Alaskan salmon caught come from salmon ranching operations. This is not sustainable over the long-term.

95% of Japan's commercially caught salmon are salmon ranching efforts.

Over 5 billion baby salmon are pumped into the Pacific every year by nations around the Pacific Rim - from salmon ranching efforts.

This is also not sustainable.

couple of posts on my site related to the issue:
"how do we define wild?"
http://www.salmonguy.org/?p=544

And,
"the interventionist solution?"
http://www.salmonguy.org/?p=646

thanks - some good posts here.

Linda

February 12, 2010 - 21:54

RE: Target stops selling farmed salmon

Glad to hear this news.. Just one more reason for me to keep shopping there.

emily

February 3, 2010 - 12:20

No fish farms in Alaska

Thanks for your comment, Jeff.

The site you linked to has a clear pro-aquaculture bias (simply read the URL.)

While Alaska does have salmon hatcheries – a practice that releases the salmon into the wild where they live, grow and then eventually return to spawn - they are very different from salmon farms, which are far and away more damaging to the marine ecosystem. There are no fish farms in Alaska – the state doesn’t allow aquaculture.

It’s a complex issue, but we think Target’s decision is definitely a step in the right direction.

Jeff W

January 29, 2010 - 10:43