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5 Reasons Not to Buy Farmed Salmon THIS YEAR'S commercial salmon season is expected to be much shorter because of reportedly low numbers of some salmon populations. That means prices will be much higher, as much as $15 a pound. In spite of the high cost, farmed salmon presents a poor alternative. Stick with the wild fish. 1. New research shows that farmed salmon are infecting wild salmon with sea lice at an alarming rate. The parasites are often fatal to the fish. 2. Farmed fish often escape from their saltwater pens and mate with wild salmon, depleting the genetic stocks of wild salmon. 3. To feed farmed salmon, aquaculture operations rely on massive quantities of bait fish, and the overfishing of these small fish has potentially damaging effects on the ocean's food chain. 4. Because they live in unnatural, crowded and disease-prone environments, farmed salmon are often fed antibiotics. They are also fed additives to color their flesh. 5. Put a fresh, wild Pacific salmon next to a farmed or "Atlantic" salmon and taste the difference. Wild is better. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]