News Coverage
PCBs in farmed salmon a danger to Americans
Published March 15, 2005
The Japanese prefer theirs cherry-red, the United States and Europeans like it pink. While the question may usually refer to the difference between a rare and a medium steak, the reality is that Chile is asking the world what color they would like their farmed salmon. Farmed salmon is typically a white color in Chile, due to the lack of the nutrients and algae that colors salmon flesh raised in the north.
Why should Americans care? Because 60 percent of the United States' salmon is coming from Chile. I am not going to ramble on with environmental facts on salmon farms. You've probably heard those already. This is about your health.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), once used in industrial equipment due to their fire-retardant capabilities, are leaking into the ocean soil and can remain there for years.They can also travel through the atmosphere damaging pristine areas thousands of miles away. These characteristics allow salmon to be effected because of their high fatty tissue content, which absorbs and holds the toxins. The same salmon are then delivered to your favorite restaurants and grocery stores. They never mention salmon with a side of PCBs on the menu.
PCBs can affect the immune, reproductive and nervous systems in several ways. In studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, children born to mothers with high PCB levels were found to have learning disabilities and low birth weight. Conception and live birth rates are also lower in a variety of animals studied, including monkeys. Males could also experience a reduced sperm count, according to the EPA.
These problems are occurring at salmon farms closer to home as well. Washington's farmed salmon contain about the same amount of PCBs as Chilean salmon. A comprehensive study of the salmon farming industry published by the University at Albany, found that eating anything more than one 8 ounce serving per month of salmon could expose people to unsafe levels of PCBs.
The high levels of PCBs in farmed salmon come from the use of fishmeal. Fishmeal is essentially a dead "Sammy the Salmon" being processed and fed in the form of a pellet to his sister "Sally the Salmon." Since fishmeal is generally the fatty parts of the fish, it is perpetuating the growth of PCBs in farmed salmon.
According to Juan Carlos Cardenas, the executive director of Ecoceanos, the Chilean government is only capable of regulating 12 percent of salmon farms. An industry organization, SalmonChile, is working to better salmon farming practices by developing quality standards and monitoring Chilean salmon farms as a response to consumer demand.
Americans should insist that companies providing farmed salmon to our markets ensure the safety of their product.
If business practices like the work of SalmonChile are supported, wild salmon resources won't be depleted and farmed salmon can be offered as a safe alternative. Until then, I'll be sticking to the wild stuff.