News Coverage
Salmon study nets little concern in midstate
Published January 22, 2004
Add salmon to the list of foods to eat with caution.
A month after the nation's discovery of mad cow disease on the West Coast raised concerns about the safety of beef, a new study reports that farm-raised salmon is high in toxins.
Farm-raised salmon contains enough toxins that people -- particularly pregnant women and children -- should eat it no more than once a month, a study published last week in Science magazine said.
Most salmon sold in midstate restaurants and supermarkets is raised in fish farms, rather than caught in the wild. The Science study said wild salmon is safer because it has fewer toxins.
Hint: If a store or menu doesn't explicitly say the salmon is wild, it is likely farm-raised, experts said.
The federal government said farm-raised salmon is safe to eat. Some scientists praised the study, but some researchers wouldn't go so far as to say that farm-raised salmon should be removed from a weekly diet.
Nonetheless, Tim Bigelow of Middletown, for one, said he won't eat the fish until he can find wild salmon for sale.
"From reading the articles in newspapers and magazines, the farm-raised salmon contain pollutants," he said.
For many, salmon's appeal is in its reputation as a healthy food.
The Rev. Dr. Douglas Pieper of Bowmansdale said he has been eating it "because it's supposed to be good for you."
He said he isn't planning on cutting back.
"It's not like I eat it weekly or anything. I don't know about farm-raised versus wild. Just so long as it's edible," he said.
Midstate stores and chefs said they will still sell farm-raised salmon. Some label it as such, and others do not.
Salmon 3rd in popularity:Salmon is the country's third-most-popular seafood after shrimp and tuna, and most is farm-raised, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, a federal agency.
"We believe that farm-raised salmon is safe," said Linda Chaves, national aquacultural coordinator for the marine fisheries service.
She said the benefits of salmon "absolutely" outweigh the dangers. Salmon contains fatty acids that have been shown to improve cardiovascular health, Chaves said.
The $1.8 million study in Science found that farm-raised salmon contained about 10 times more contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins than salmon caught in the wild. The farmed fish eat feed and other fish loaded with mercury and contaminants, the study found.
However, Chaves said, "Levels of PCBs and other contaminants are quite low and below the acceptable levels of the FDA, the World Health Organization and the Environmental Protection Agency."
Scientists said the study raises important questions.
"I think the whole story is not in, but I would tend to agree with Science," said Dr. Dorothy A. Blair, assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University.
Fish farms have long been touted as a way of raising fish that are exposed to fewer chemicals. Halibut, catfish, shrimp, crawfish, trout and salmon are among fish raised on the farm today.
Grocery-store chains in the area rely on farm-raised salmon.
"Currently, the salmon we sell is farm-raised," said Dennis Curtin, a spokesman for Weis Markets in Sunbury.
"The sources we get it from are from the U.S.," he said.
"Anytime we have farm-raised product we do sign it as farm-raised fish," said Dennis Hopkins, vice president of advertising and public relations for Giant Foods in Carlisle.
Salmon imported to U.S.:
Many fishmongers and restaurateurs in the Harrisburg area said the level of contaminants depends on how and where the fish are raised. The study said farm-raised salmon in northern Europe was highest in chemicals, while farms in Maine and Canada produced cleaner fish.
"I have visited a lot of salmon farms and I see the quality of fish, and it's a pretty pristine environment," said Dennis Merrill of Merrill Seafood in New Cumberland. He distributes salmon raised in Scotland, Norway and Canada to area restaurants.
Bill Shellenberger, the head chef at Scottie's Beef and Reef in Mechanicsburg, is a client of Merrill's and said he puts his faith in the distributor.
He buys Scottish farm-raised fish and seeks "the best salmon out there." His salmon is not listed on the menu as wild or farm-raised.
Joel Dincher, the chef at Pesce Mediterranean Restaurant and Bistro in Swatara Twp., said he serves wild salmon, which is how it is listed on the menu. "I have to pay a little more, but I prefer it," he said.
Brian Matlick, chef and owner of Brian Kent's in Derry Twp. likes to serve fresh and organic foods. But, "I get Scottish farm-raised salmon."
He serves wild salmon once in awhile, but his salmon is listed on the menu as farm-raised, he said.
"The problem is minuscule," Matlick said. "I think aquaculture is going to be the wave of the future. There's always lovers of wild fish, but the consistency of produce in farm fish is unprecedented."
Dioxins are widespread in the environment, and virtually all fish contain some mercury, either through exposure to pollutants or eating other fish.
Larger fish such as swordfish and shark have higher levels of PCBs and mercury. The government advises pregnant women not to eat those fish, saying high concentrations of mercury can damage the fetal nervous system.
"I suggest eating sardines," said Penn State's Blair. "The smaller the fish, the less pollutants. That is the golden rule."