A new Indiana University study published in today's (Jan. 9, 2004) issue of Science found that farm
raised salmon contains more environmental contaminants than wild salmon.
Comments from news articles:
Farmed Salmon More Toxic Than Wild Salmon, Study Finds Indiana University, Thursday, January 8, 2004
ScienceDaily Magazine, 2004-01-09 <URL:http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/1225.html>
<URL:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040109072244.htm>
"A study of more than two metric tons of North American, South American and European salmon has
shown that PCBs and other environmental toxins are present at higher levels in farm-raised
salmon than in their wild counterparts.
Researchers at Indiana University and five other research centers say increased toxin levels in
farm- raised salmon may pose health risks to people who eat the economically important fish.
Their study, which appears in this week's (Jan. 9) issue of Science, is the most comprehensive
analysis to date of salmon toxin concentrations.
"We think it's important for people who eat salmon to know that farmed salmon have higher levels
of toxins than wild salmon from the open ocean," said IU School of Public and Environmental
Affairs Distinguished Professor Ronald Hites, who led the study.
The researchers applied U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fish consumption advisory methods
to determine consumption recommendations. Farmed salmon purchased for the study from
supermarkets in Frankfurt (Germany), Edinburgh (Scotland), Paris (France), London (U.K.), Oslo
(Norway), Boston, San Francisco and Toronto (Canada) triggered consumption recommendations of
one- half to one meal of salmon per month. (A meal is defined as 8 ounces of uncooked meat.)
Farmed salmon from supermarkets in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C.,
and Vancouver (Canada) triggered a recommendation of no more than two salmon meals per month.
Farmed salmon from Denver and New Orleans supermarkets both triggered a consumption
recommendation of two meals of salmon per month. With very few exceptions, farmed salmon samples
tested significantly exceeded the contaminant levels of wild salmon, which could be consumed at
levels as high as eight meals per month.
The production of farmed salmon has increased 40-fold over the last two decades, thanks in large
part to the world's salmon farms. Over half the salmon sold globally are raised in Northern
Europe, Chile and North America.
While the health benefits of eating salmon have been established by numerous studies, concerns
about the fish's tendency to accumulate toxins have gone largely unaddressed. As fish-eaters
themselves, salmon occupy fairly high positions in their food chains. As a general rule,
carnivorous animals tend to have higher concentrations of toxins in their bodies than
herbivores. ..."
Farmed salmon linked to cancer risk The Times, January 09, 2004 <URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-
957350,00.html>
"... The most polluted salmon came from farms in Scotland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark. It was
so contaminated that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises eating an 8oz (227g)
portion only once every four months. ..."
Cancer warning over Scottish farmed salmon The Guardian, Friday January 9, 2004
<URL:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1119242,00.html>
"... The research, published in today's Science magazine, which analysed salmon samples bought
around the world, including from shops in London and Edinburgh, concluded that salmon farmed in
Scotland and the Faroe Islands was the most contaminated in the world. Wild salmon was given a
clean bill of health and farmed salmon from Chile and North America, while containing some
pesticides and dioxins, was cleaner than that from the North Atlantic. ..."
Farmed Salmon Have More Contaminants Than Wild Ones, Study Finds The New York Times, January 9, 2004
<URL:http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/09/science/09SALM.html?ex=1074229200&en=e9abd9b2bd33e8a6&ei=506-
2&partner=GOOGLE>
Toxins Cited in Farmed Salmon The Washington Post, Friday, January 9, 2004 <URL:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A733-
2004Jan8.html>
"Farm-raised salmon, a growing staple of American diets, contains significantly higher
concentrations of PCBs, dioxin and other cancer-causing contaminants than salmon caught in the
wild, and should be eaten infrequently, according to a new study of commercial fish sold in
North America, South America and Europe.
The study, using Environmental Protection Agency health guidelines, concluded that although
consumers can safely eat four to eight meals of wild salmon a month, consumption of more
than one eight-ounce portion of farmed salmon a month in most cases poses an "unacceptable
cancer risk."
[...]
Consumers may have difficulty distinguishing between farmed and wild salmon, because many stores
and restaurants do not clearly label them. Wild salmon is three to four times as expensive, but
some retailers confuse the issue by identifying farmed salmon as "Atlantic salmon." The study
called for labels differentiating wild from farmed and noting the country of origin.
Ninety percent of the fresh salmon consumed in the United States is farm-raised, industry
officials say. More than half of that salmon comes from Chile, however, where the pollutant
level of farmed salmon is less than that of most other regions but still higher than in wild
fish, according to the study.
Farmed fish contain higher concentrations of contaminants than wild fish largely because they
are fed meal that consists of ground-up fish tainted with the contaminants. Wild salmon eat tiny
fish and aquatic organisms that are less contaminated. ..."
Study finds higher level of toxins in farmed salmon Seattle Times, Friday, January 09, 2004
<URL:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2001833048_salmon09.html>
"... The study of 700 store-bought samples from Frankfurt, Germany; Edinburgh, Scotland; Paris;
London; and Oslo, Norway, generally were the most contaminated, while samples from stores in New
Orleans and Denver were the least contaminated.
The two-year, $2.4 million study, funded by the Pew Charitable Trust and published yesterday in
the journal Science, is the latest blow to the commercial-fish industry, already suffering from
growing concerns about elevated levels of mercury in tuna and shellfish. ..."
Report Cites Health Risks of Farm-Raised Salmon Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2004 <URL:http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-salmon9jan09,1,1156751.story?coll=la-home-
headlines>
"... Analyzing more than two tons of fish bought in the U.S., Canada and Europe, a team of
scientists found that amounts of PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were the highest in fish
from offshore farms in Scotland, Norway and the Faroe Islands, located between Iceland and
Norway. Amounts were not quite as high in salmon raised in British Columbia, Washington state
and Chile.
None of the high levels exceed standards set in 1984 by the Food and Drug Administration for
commercially sold fish. But they are higher than the guidelines set by the Environmental
Protection Agency in 1999 for recreationally caught fish, which are 40 times more
restrictive. ..."
Farmed salmon are laced with toxins, study finds The Globe and Mail, Friday, January 9, 2004
<URL:http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040109/SALMON09/TPHealth/>
Farmed salmon loaded with chemicals, study confirms Environmental News Network, Friday, January 09,
2004 <URL:http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-09/s_11895.asp>
"Farmed salmon contains far more toxic chemicals than wild salmon — high enough to suggest that
fish-eaters limit how much they eat, U.S. researchers said Thursday.
The culprit is "salmon chow" — the feed given to the captive fish, the researchers report in
this week's issue of the journal Science.
Many health experts urge people to eat fish such as salmon because it contains healthy fats,
especially the omega-3 fatty acids that can lower the risk of heart disease and perhaps have
other health benefits, too.
But the researchers, as well as environmental groups, said the findings in Science indicate that
people should choose their fish carefully. They should also demand that salmon be clearly
labeled to indicate whether it is farmed or wild so they can make informed choices about which
fish to eat.
The team at Indiana University, University at Albany, Cornell University, and elsewhere analyzed
toxic contaminants in 700 farmed and wild salmon taken from markets in 16 cities in Europe and
North America.
"We think it's important for people who eat salmon to know that farmed salmon have higher levels
of toxins than wild salmon from the open ocean," environmental affairs professor Ronald Hites of
Albany, who led the study, said in a statement.
[...]
Farmed salmon taken from markets in Frankfurt, Edinburgh, Paris, London, Oslo, Boston, San
Francisco, and Toronto had the highest levels, and the researchers said consumers should eat no
more than one-half to one meal of salmon per month. A meal was eight ounces of uncooked meat.
Farmed salmon from supermarkets in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Chicago, New York,
and Vancouver had toxins high enough to suggest that people eat no more than two salmon meals a
month, based on Environmental Protection Agency standards.
In contrast, it would be safe to eat up to eight meals a month of wild salmon, they said. Other
groups note that walnuts, flaxseeds, and other non-fish sources are rich in omega-3s.
Many chemicals can build up in the body, staying for years or even a lifetime. But the body also
processes some out, so experts can figure out a safe or acceptable level of intake.
The study fits in with other research on chemicals in salmon. Two studies published in the
journal Chemosphere last year found elevated levels of PCBs, certain pesticides, and flame
retardants in farmed salmon.
And last year the Environmental Working Group said it found elevated PCB levels in farmed salmon
filets taken from 10 U.S. grocery stores.
"This unquestionably large, new study strongly confirms earlier research, and it leaves little
room for the farmed fish industry to argue away the problems of polluted farmed seafood," the
Environmental Working Group's Jane Houlihan said."
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Matti Narkia