Farm-raised Salmon: Food Dyes and Lies
A Fish Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Nadia Schilling, In Defense of Animals (IDA)
December 2016

Is it any wonder then that farm-raised salmon get so stressed out that they literally go gray? We joke about getting gray hair from stress all of the time, but the incredible stress these fish suffer is nothing to laugh about.

To ward off the lice [caused by severe confinement], farmers spike the food pellets with ermamectin benzoate, a pesticide with particularly nasty side effects (including spinal deterioration).

farm-raised salmon

The majestic salmon is a sight to see in the wild. But on farms, these stunning fish are kept in cramped aquatic pens. There, barely able to move, they compete for unnatural food pellets. Is it any wonder then that farm-raised salmon get so stressed out that they literally go gray? We joke about getting gray hair from stress all of the time, but the incredible stress these fish suffer is nothing to laugh about.

Stress and lack of exercise also harms farm-raised salmon by making their flesh gray and flabby. Because this sickly looking seafood would never sell in your neighborhood supermarket, industrial fish farms mix a food color additive into the food pellets to dye the salmons’ flesh to a more appealing color. In turn, they sell it to consumers for a higher price.

Much like the congestion and chaos of farms which raise pigs and chickens, the close conditions of salmon farms makes it the perfect breeding ground for a disturbing type of marine parasite called a sea louse. To ward off the lice, farmers spike the food pellets with ermamectin benzoate, a pesticide with particularly nasty side effects (including spinal deterioration).

So….do you really want to eat that? Salmon are not the only farm-raised fish getting cruelly mistreated. Most farm-raised fish, like tilapia, receive worse care than imaginable. In severely crowded conditions, lice will often eat down to the bone. This is so common that fish farmers have termed it the “death crown.” Horrific!

If you are tired of being duped at the supermarket, there is no better time to act. Download our free veg guide for dozens of recipes and tips for eating more healthily and sustainably.


Return to Fishes