Are we being fed a lie with salmon ?

I’m afraid lice do have a negative impact on the health of both farmed and, increasingly, the wild Atlantic salmon that return to Scotland’s rivers to breed. Sea lice, if left unchecked, cause deformities and lesions that ultimately kill the fish. Deformed fish have increasingly been seen in river salmon on the west coast of Scotland where most of the salmon farms are, as the fish pick up the lice from areas around the fish farms, and is being linked to the dearth of salmon being seen in those rivers. This has led to a fall in visiting anglers who come to catch the fish - it is, or was, big business in Scotland. Salmon must now be returned to rivers after being caught, but they aren’t there to be caught. Interestingly, in the east of Scotland, where there are no coastal fish farms, river stocks are healthier. Fish farms use ‘cleaner fish’ (wrasse, which are bred specially I believe) to try and eradicate the lice, and to some extent this is successful. There is a Scandinavian fish farming method which is very successful, but is deemed to be too expensive to be introduced here. Farmed rainbow trout also suffer from licing.

Never eat smoked salmon; but have ordinary salmon 2x per week - we we eat a lot of fish.

I stopped buying farmed salmon when my daughter showed me a video clip of a deformed fish with a gaping, disease-ridden hole in its flesh (it was on Instagram) in a salmon farm situation. Not that we ate it often, but it put me right off.

However I have since bought wild sock-eye salmon a few times, and it is delicious (but very expensive).

I wish I liked the taste of smoked foods..but I do not! Every so often I try again..but it is,still unpleasant

The information about the problems with farmed salmon have been around for a decade or more. Discussed on radio programmes, online and in newspapers.

I now only buy wild salmon, smoked or fresh. It is expensive so we only eat it very occasionally and appreciate it all the more for that.

There are so many thousand of food stuffs to choose from today and there will always be foodstuffs we cannot afford: caviar, truffles, Wagyu beef, I have tasted all once or twice in tiny mouthfuls, nice, but with so much choice, I do not miss them because I cannot afford them. Smoked mackerel, smoked trout, are both acceptable alternatives to smoked salmon. Fresh salmon is nice as an occasional treat, but I am just as happy with haddock.

Or RSPCA Freedom Foods salmon, now that I’ve seen your post, Anja!

I must admit I wasn’t aware of the problems, my fault as I see now that the information is out there. I tend to trust that UK food industry standards are higher than most and do as absent says when it comes to meat, buy dearer (free range) and eat less often. I’ll be looking for wild salmon in future.

When buying farmed Atlantic salmon, the best choice to make is organic certified. Organic Certification Standards for salmon farming set comprehensive standards for the cultivation of salmon which includes third party auditing; inspection and enforcement procedures; and standards for hatchery production and feed mill operations, to ensure that the number of negative environmental impacts associated with salmon farming are addressed. Buying organically farmed fish ensures their feed is sourced sustainably, stocking densities are reduced and chemical usage minimised. Salmon certified by the RSPCA Freedom Foods scheme ensure that high welfare standards are met during production, including reduced stocking densities.

I usually buy frozen salmon fillets, to keep as a quick and easy standby meal, so cannot comment on fresh Scottish salmon.
I shopped on Friday, in Tesco, and bought a packet of 5 fillets for half price, £2.75.
Now having caught my interest, I looked at the packaging, and it states
" Produced in China, using Salmon caught in the Northeast Pacific Ocean"
This is what we will be having for supper tonight.

Not sure that anyone is lied to. The information is provided in various, easily accessible articles which have been commented on in the press.
Not everyone will have taken the time to inform themselves but that is the same for a lot of thongs. The facts are there if people choose to look.

A small packet of smoked salmon is £3.75 in our local Co-op and will serve three, depending on how you serve it, Bradfordlass, and a 4 pack of fresh salmon fillets, £4.25 - just over a £1.00 per serving - in Sainsbury's, the equivalent of £12.00 a kilo, so I am not sure where your figure of £50 a kilo comes from.

sorry for the typo

BradofrdLass, yes, quite ?

I think questions are being—and have been for some time—asked about the Scottish salmon industry. I'm not sure their having lice is a threat to human health, nor to theirs. That is a straightforward unloaded comment because of the OP's reference to a possible "major [human] scourge". The other disease(s) mentioned are more worrying.

Salmon is not cheap where I buy it in Scotland. It's dearer than quite a lot of meat. Whether it is logical of me to think that this suggests things cannot be 'all that bad' at least on some of the salmon farms, I don't know.

On a final note, compared to the risks associated with obtaining food that our distant ancestors on these islands faced, I don't think we've much to worry about. The risks now associated with getting and eating our food are comparatively minimal.

I'm food shopping today. Perhaps I will not consider buying salmon this time.

Its a long, long time since I could afford to buy salmon. Currently, depending on how you buy it, the cost is around £50 a kilo, which is as much as I spend on my whole, weekly food budget.

But I had a lovely surprise Christmas gift given by a friend after her husband bought a gigantic fresh salmon and there was too much for them to eat. She'd peppered some of it raw, in strips and some was lightly cooked - it was wonderful

I guess the answer in your case with Scottish salmon is just don't buy it. One can live without salmon and if no one buys it, the supplier will have to change things.

Wild salmon is considerably more expensive, much tastier, has a better texture, is far healthier and better for the environment. As with most things, you get what you pay for. Perhaps just buy it for a special occasion rather than for everyday meals – it is worth it.

Yes, it's worrying isn't, though I still very occasionally still have salmon. I strive not to eat meat, though find it difficult to make interesting meals, so I break the monotony occasionally by having cod and chips or salmon.

It's getting to the point where it's difficult to know what to eat as there seems to be a health or environmental risk attached to almost everything now. I think perhaps the most sensible way is to not eat too much of any particular food and to strive to eat less anyway.