Fast Facts about Farmed Fish

--It takes 4 kg of fish protein to produce 1 kg of farmed salmon. This means
that 3 kg of protein is lost in the making of 1 kg of farmed salmon. Most of
the fish protein used to feed BC farmed salmon comes from South America.
This means that valuable food energy is taken from poorer countries to
provide a luxury food item for wealthier countries.

--Farmed salmon are fed more antibiotics per pound of 'livestock' than are
any other farmed animal.

--There are concerns that the heavy doses of antibiotics used in fish farms
may contribute to the new growth of drug resistant bacteria.

--Farmed salmon are fattened up in an unnaturally short time using various
methods. Some farms leave on bright lights at night to confuse the fish into
thinking that it is always feeding time.

--Fish farms are the feedlots of the sea. A typical fish farm covers about
one hectare of the ocean and can contain up to 800,000 fish.

--Wild salmon is high in Omega-3 oils (associated with lower levels of heart
disease). Farmed atlantic salmon is not.

--The flesh of wild salmon is naturally red. The flesh of farmed salmon is
dyed red with a chemical dye.

--Many fish farms use predator net guards that hang down fifty feet into the
ocean. Some farmers dip these nets in a highly toxic copper-based
anti-foulant to prevent marine organisms from growing on them.

--Many fish farms are owned by multinational companies. These farms provide
some low-paying jobs to the people in coastal communities but most of the
income generated flows to large city shareholders.

-- In Norway, parasites from farmed salmon infested 24 rivers. These rivers
had to be deliberately poisoned by the Norwegian government in an attempt to
rid the rivers of the parasites and save other rivers from being infested.

--In Norway's coastal waters, fishermen now catch up to 3 times more farmed
salmon than they do wild salmon.