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It's Time to Give Up Salmon

Populations are decreasing, and farmed specimens aren't healthy

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 9, 2008 8:16 AM CDT

(Newser) – Salmon is supposed to be the perfect indulgence: low in saturated fats, high in omega-3 fatty acids, cheaper than ever at your local supermarket. But Taras Grescoe thinks you should stop eating it anyway. Wild salmon populations are dying off, he writes in the New York Times, thanks mostly to man-made habitat problems and overfishing. And the farmed salmon that's taken over grocery store shelves is not the healthy alternative it appears to be.

Farmed salmon are routinely prey to parasites and disease. To combat the disease, some farmers have begun using powerful pesticides—the kind used to rid trees of pine beetles. It’s not something you want in your body, Grescoe argues, declaring that for now, “I’ll be eating closer to the bottom of the food chain. Sardines, it turns out, taste pretty good barbecued.”

Salmon sit on ice Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007, at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Salmon that average 2-3 feet in length, pass through the fish ladder at Bonneville Dam in North Bonneville, Wash., in this April 10, 2001 file photo. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)

A barcode attached to the jaw of this chinook salmon indicates that it was included in a genetic study of river salmon migration. Overfishing may force researchers to abandon the project. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard, File)

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It's Time to Give Up Salmon

Populations are decreasing, and farmed specimens aren't healthy

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environment • salmon • fish • omega-3 fatty acids • pesticide

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Polluted Fish Swamp Great Lakes

Industrial chemicals raise contaminant levels into range unsafe for eating

Fish May Protect Against Alzheimer's

As long as it's baked or grilled, not fried: study

Why I Finally Love Farmed Fish

Former skeptic Josh Ozersky sees benefits to the earth

Diet Slashes Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Load up on leafy greens, olive oil, nuts rather than saturated fat

Overfishing Plagues Filet-O-Fish's Main Ingredient

New Zealand's hoki center of overfishing controversy

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It's Time to Give Up Salmon

Populations are decreasing, and farmed specimens aren't healthy

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

environment • salmon • fish • omega-3 fatty acids • pesticide

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Polluted Fish Swamp Great Lakes

Industrial chemicals raise contaminant levels into range unsafe for eating

Fish May Protect Against Alzheimer's

As long as it's baked or grilled, not fried: study

Why I Finally Love Farmed Fish

Former skeptic Josh Ozersky sees benefits to the earth

Diet Slashes Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Load up on leafy greens, olive oil, nuts rather than saturated fat

Overfishing Plagues Filet-O-Fish's Main Ingredient

New Zealand's hoki center of overfishing controversy

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

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More News

What is Newser?