The delicate balance between wild and farmed salmon continues
By: Dana Michell
WHAT: MY Place Speaker Series
WHERE: MY Place
WHEN: Saturday, June 28 at 8 p.m.
Next time you tuck into a tasty salmon steak, or pop some of the smoked morsel onto a cracker, you may want to spare a thought for the trouble brewing in the deep blue sea and beyond. Far past your dinner table, there’s a passionate battle raging about B.C.’s finest fish and unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, it’s dividing the nation.
The debate centres on whether the Canadian government should be pouring money into farmed salmon aquaculture – a cheaper, safer and more plentiful option according to supporters – or whether it should be preserving conditions for unique and natural wild salmon, and the fishermen who want to conserve and catch them.
Admittedly, the arguments for and against on both sides of the river can be a little hard to swallow for most of us. Government studies, private evaluations, dodgy statistics, research rhetoric and bias from both sides have harmed credibility and caused confusion for the common taxpayer who’ll bare the brunt of the eventual outcome – we, the people.
This issue is definitely a little stomach churning at the end of a long day when all we want to do is eat our meal in peace, but it’s always good to know a little about a heated topic – to raise, if anything, a healthy dinner table discussion before dessert.
MY Place and Astrid’s Fine Foods present an intellectual, educational and entertaining evening covering this fishy fight, and all in Whistler are welcome.
On Saturday, June 28 at 8 p.m., a leading authority from the fishing industry, Parzical Copes, will present the facts on fish stocks and stress the need for government policy balancing conservation and sustainable harvesting. Also on hand will be some local chefs serving their favourite salmon dishes, and renowned storyteller Dunc Shields will explore the cultural importance of B.C. salmon with stories and songs.
Copes, a p rofessor of economics at Simon Fraser University, is an advisor to Canada’s Sustainable Fisheries Society (SFS) who work for healthy fish stocks and a viable fishing industry for all.
SFS President, John Radosevic said Canada’s fishing industry (and what ends up on your plate) could end up to be just skin and bones unless balanced affirmative action and conservation practices are combined with sustainable harvests.
"A few years ago, the wild salmon industry was worth half a billion dollars. That value has now reduced to a tenth of what it was," said Radosevic. "And that’s not because there’s no salmon around, but management and regulation of the natural resource has changed so radically".
This is where the backlash towards aquaculture comes into play. The farmed fish market has been growing exponentially with most grocery stores stocking the penned varieties because of their cheaper price point and its year round availability. Wild salmon can only be caught fresh from June to September.
Radosevic said there should be room for everyone to grow and prosper. "Farmed salmon has it’s place but it has to be managed safely to protect the wild salmon first and foremost. Bottom line is the First Nations people and recreational fishermen want fish in a healthy state. The commercial fishermen want to continue their careers providing some of the best wild salmon in the world caught right here in B.C. and the restaurants want to serve it up too. But in order to accommodate everyone both now and in the future, there needs to be a balanced policy committed to conservation and sustainable harvest".
So how does the wild versus farmed fiasco affect the consumer?
It comes down to health, taste, price and nutrition. According to CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, there are up to 10 times as many PCBs in farmed fish. "Basically, that's a reflection of how much pesticides, antibiotics and other contaminants are used," he said. "Those PCBs and toxins are all part of the farming process in order to keep the fish free from disease".
A study reported by the BBC concluded one portion of farmed salmon a week was unlikely to cause any harm to humans and the mercury levels seem to be the same in both the farmed and wild varieties. But there are so many more issues at stake that you can research on the internet. The overall nutritional content is fairly similar and still extremely low in comparison to other protein products. CNN.com offered these nutritional statistics:
•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
So how can a consumer tell the difference between wild and farmed salmon? According to Dr. Gupta, it’s very difficult because sometimes the farmed salmon are injected with red dye to make them look more like their wild counterparts. Three of Whistler’s top chefs who prepare the fish on a daily basis gave us their opinions.
The Bearfoot Bistro’s executive chef, Brock Windsor, said wild salmon was the only acceptable choice for his restaurant. "From a culinary standpoint, I think the wild is a far superior product. From a dietary standpoint, the goodness just doesn’t compare and from a political standpoint, we have to support our local fishermen and prevent the wild runs from being destroyed".
Owner and operator of Chef Bernard’s, Bernard Casavant, said he can tell wild from farmed by the touch and taste immediately. "The farmed fish is much more oily in texture with a higher fat content. Wild salmon’s flesh is a lot softer. I’d even put frozen wild salmon up against any fresh farmed variety, and our guests always compliment our salmon".
Araxi’s service director, Reg Jorquera, said wild salmon was the preferred choice for their dishes but they do occasionally buy ethically farmed salmon.
"Our main concern is always quality of fish, so freshness has to come first. Once we hit the end of summer we find the wild salmon becomes too fatty and not as tasty because the fish have started spawning so this is when farmed varieties become a better option for us".
That said, Jorqueara says Araxi only buys sustainable stock from ethically reputable companies.
"Our sous chef, Nathan Jensen, has a good relationship with Yellow Island Farm. They are on their way to being completely organic certification, which means they don’t use antibiotics or growth hormones on their fish. It’s about as close to the wild as you can get at this stage".
Tickets to the Salmon talk, part of the MY Place Speaker Series, are $18 for adults and $13 concession. Ph: 604-935-8410.
