Farmed fish vs wild fish

[Guest guest]

an article on farmed vs wild fish

http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/diet.fitness/11/07/otsc.farmed.salmon/i

ndex.html

Basically wild fish is less contaminated and generally healthier than

farmed fish. An unsuprising illustration of the principle that the

way animal agriculture is done (as opposed to something slightly more

natural) is not generally health promoting to say the least.

I don't understand the part about " PCBs and toxins are all part of

the farming process that are used to try and keep these fish free of

disease " . PCB's are used to keep the fish free of disease?

article text:

" Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Hidden dangers in salmon?

Battle over farmed vs. wild fish rages

Thursday, November 7, 2002 Posted: 3:00 PM EST (2000 GMT)

(CNN) -- Salmon has long been considered a favorite menu item for the

health conscious, a heart-healthy entree with benefits in every bite.

But there might be bad news to swallow about salmon, as well. CNN

anchor Daryn Kagan spoke with CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay

Gupta about the benefits and risks of the fish.

GUPTA: I'll tell you, there's a lot of debate and there's a lot of

concerns over farmed fish versus wild fish. This is something that

people have been talking about a great deal. Let me explain: One of

the important things about fish in the wild is they eat a lot of

smaller fish, who even eat smaller fish, who eat algae. This algae is

really good ultimately for the fish; and for you when you eat it,

because it has what is known as omega-3 fatty acids. That's an

important name to keep in mind, because that's the fatty acid that's

good for you; it can actually lower your cholesterol. You'll find a

lot of that actually in wild fish.

The debate over farm fish and wild fish has raged on. There's been a

study now, a relatively small study. But they've actually looked and

compared wild fish versus farm fish. Here are some of the things

they've found: There are 10 times as many PCBs in farmed fish.

Basically, that's a reflection of how much pesticides, antibiotics,

other contaminants are used in raising these farmed fish. There's

higher pesticide levels in the farmed fish.

The methyl mercury levels -- Daryn, you and I talked about this in

the past: mercury levels in fish. They're actually about the same in

farmed versus wild fish. So that's not a benefit of farmed fish

either.

So all those sort of point to the benefits of eating wild fish versus

farm fish.

KAGAN: So how do you know when you're served that chunk of salmon

you're looking at on the plate (whether it is) is farmed or wild?

GUPTA: A lot of times you don't know. In fact, there's been some

debate about that as well, as to whether these fish should be

labeled. There is no regulation saying that it has to be labeled yet.

What some people do is they label their wild fish, saying this is not

farmed fish, to try and make that point, but there is no labeling,

even in restaurants. Really good restaurants, for the most part, will

use wild fish more because their quality tends to be better. There's

more muscle mass in the wild fish versus the farmed fish, but for the

most part, you just won't know.

KAGAN: I can't imagine they're dumping that in the water there.

GUPTA: It's all part of the farming process. They actually raise

these farmed fish (with large numbers in pens) ... You actually have

to give them antibiotics. And a lot of the PCBs and toxins are all

part of the farming process that are used to try and keep these fish

free of disease.

Daryn, they sometimes even inject fish like salmon with red dye or

pink dye to make them look more pink, more like their wild

counterparts.

KAGAN: Yes, well, that's no good. Let's get to the part about how

good it is for you when you eat them, the nutritional aspects of it.

GUPTA: Right, and fish is no doubt a very good food. We don't want to

dissuade people from eating fish, no question about it here. Just

look at some of the numbers here, the wild salmon versus the farm-

raised salmon:

•Calories: 234 in the farm, versus 206 in the wild

•Fat: 14 grams in the farm, versus 9.2 in the wild

•Cholesterol: 81 milligrams in the farm versus 71 in the wild

While one is higher than the other, those are still pretty good

numbers for any kind of food. Maybe slightly better in the wild

versus the farmed, overall.

But no doubt, fish is a very nutritious food, which is why it's

become so popular. We eat about 15 pounds per year, on average ... It

is a very healthful food. "