Norwegian Salmon Farm, This is Why Arctic Char is So Expensive - Modern Fish Processing Factory

Summary

The video explores the lifecycle and methods of farming and harvesting salmon, contrasting farmed and wild-caught salmon. It highlights how farmed salmon are raised in controlled environments, while wild salmon are caught using nets as they migrate. The script discusses environmental concerns related to fish farming, such as waste and disease, as well as the advantages of aquaponics and land-based systems. It compares the nutritional and environmental differences between farmed and wild salmon, with an emphasis on sustainability, health benefits, and the impact of aquaculture on marine ecosystems.

Takeaways

• 🐟 Farmed salmon are raised in two stages: first in freshwater tanks for 12-18 months, and then transferred to ocean pens for further growth.
• 🌊 Wild salmon are usually caught in purse seines or gill nets as they migrate along the shorelines to spawn.
• ⚙️ Farmed salmon are harvested using wet-well ships, ensuring quality by killing them with a pneumatic piston and bleeding them at the gills.
• 🦠 High population density in farmed salmon pens leads to issues like parasites and diseases, which can spread to nearby wild populations.
• 💊 Farmed salmon are often treated with antibiotics and chemicals to control disease outbreaks, which can pose health concerns for consumers, especially if eaten raw.
• 💲 Farmed salmon are more affordable and available than wild-caught salmon, but wild salmon are generally considered healthier with fewer calories and contaminants.
• 🌍 Farmed salmon production accounts for about 73% of the global salmon supply, and the largest producers are Norway, Chile, Scotland, and Canada.
• 🧬 Escaped farmed salmon can breed with wild stocks, reducing genetic diversity, or compete with native species if they are non-native.
• 🚢 Bycatch, the accidental catching of non-target species like dolphins and whales, is a concern in wild-caught salmon fisheries, although it is less significant in salmon fishing.
• ♻️ Innovations like land-based aquaculture and recirculating systems are emerging to reduce the environmental impact of salmon farming, offering more sustainable production methods.

Q & A

What are the two main stages in the farming process of salmon?

The first stage is hatching and raising the eggs in freshwater tanks on land for 12 to 18 months to produce juvenile salmon, called smolt. The second stage is transferring the smolt to floating ocean pens, where they grow for another year or two.

How are farmed salmon typically harvested?

Farmed salmon are transported to processing facilities using wet well ships. They are killed by a blow to the head with a pneumatic piston and then bled at the gills to maintain the quality of the meat.

How does the harvesting of wild salmon differ from that of farmed salmon?

Wild salmon are usually caught in purse seine nets and gill nets in their natural ocean habitats, often as they migrate to their spawning grounds. Once caught, they are stored in refrigerated seawater systems to keep them fresh until delivery to processing facilities.

What are the main health and nutritional differences between farmed and wild salmon?

Wild-caught salmon have fewer calories, less fat, and more minerals compared to farm-raised salmon. Farmed salmon have more omega-3 fatty acids but also higher concentrations of foreign chemicals and may require artificial dye to avoid a pale gray color.

What environmental concerns are associated with salmon farming?

Salmon farming can lead to water pollution from waste materials, outbreaks of parasites like sea lice, and the spread of diseases to wild fish populations. Escaped farmed fish may also compete with or genetically dilute wild stocks.

How does the use of antibiotics and pesticides in salmon farming impact the environment and consumer health?

Farmed salmon are often treated with antibiotics and pesticides to control outbreaks of parasites and diseases. This can negatively affect nearby wild fish and raise health concerns for consumers, especially when the fish are eaten raw.

What innovations are being made to improve the sustainability of salmon farming?

Innovations such as the use of antimicrobial copper alloys in netting, and the development of land-based aquaculture systems, are helping to reduce pollution and contamination in salmon farming.

What is the impact of fishmeal and fish oil used in salmon farming on global fisheries?

One-third of global commercial fishing production goes towards fishmeal and fish oil, which puts significant pressure on worldwide fisheries to meet the demand for farmed salmon.

What are land-based salmon farming systems, and how do they address some of the issues with traditional ocean-based salmon farming?

Land-based systems use recirculating aquaculture to raise salmon in controlled environments. These systems prevent fish from escaping, reduce the risk of spreading diseases to wild populations, and lower the environmental impact by recycling waste.

Why is wild-caught salmon considered a healthier and more environmentally sustainable option by many experts?

Wild-caught salmon is often considered healthier because it contains fewer foreign chemicals, is richer in certain nutrients, and does not face the same environmental issues as farmed salmon, such as water pollution and the spread of diseases.

Outlines

00:00

🐟 Farming and Harvesting Salmon: Two-Stage Process

Farmed salmon are raised in two main stages: eggs hatch and grow in freshwater tanks for 12-18 months, producing juvenile salmon (smolts). These smolts are then transferred to ocean pens where they grow for another year or two, with large sea pens holding up to 990,000 fish. Modern harvesting techniques use wet well ships to transport fish, and they are killed by a blow to the head, ensuring the quality of the meat. In contrast, wild salmon are typically caught using purse seine and gill nets, often freezing or suffocating in the fish holds. Alaska is highly productive in wild salmon catches during spawning seasons.

05:01

🌊 Farmed vs. Wild Salmon: Nutritional and Environmental Impacts

Wild-caught salmon is considered a healthier and more environmentally friendly choice compared to farmed salmon. Farmed salmon, while more affordable and widely available, often contains more chemicals and parasites due to farming density. To counteract diseases like sea lice, farmed fish are treated with antibiotics, which raises health concerns. Escaped farm fish can harm wild stocks by reducing genetic diversity. Despite progress in improving farm conditions, such as antimicrobial copper netting, wild salmon remain the preferred choice for many ocean and nutrition experts.

10:02

🎣 Fishing Methods and Bycatch in Salmon Fisheries

Commercial salmon fisheries primarily use purse seine and gill nets to catch migrating fish. These nets are non-selective, meaning they capture not only target species but also protected species like dolphins, whales, and sea turtles. While some bycatch can be released, many animals are injured or killed. The global commercial fishing industry contributes to environmental harm, including bycatch deaths and oil spills. Despite this, wild salmon fishing is a vital industry for Pacific coastal communities, with small, family-run boats dominating wild salmon catches.

15:03

🌍 Global Salmon Farming: Environmental Challenges

Farmed salmon accounts for 73% of the world’s salmon supply, with major producers in Norway, Chile, Scotland, and Canada. The farming process involves raising salmon in marine cages, which leads to pollution from fish waste and disease outbreaks that can spread to wild populations. Sea lice, a particular threat to both farmed and wild salmon, are often treated with pesticides in fish feed. As global salmon consumption increases, the environmental impact of fish farming is becoming more evident, particularly with issues like pollution and ecosystem damage.

20:03

🏞️ Land-Based Aquaculture: The Future of Salmon Farming?

New innovations in salmon farming include land-based systems, which use recirculating aquaculture to raise salmon in controlled environments. These farms, like Superior Fresh in the U.S., combine fish farming with hydroponics, creating a sustainable system where fish waste is used to grow plants. This method eliminates environmental contamination, reduces carbon footprint, and prevents interactions with wild populations. With projections for significant growth, land-based farming could become a major source of sustainable, fresh salmon while minimizing environmental impacts.

Keywords

💡Farmed Salmon

Farmed salmon refers to salmon that is raised in controlled environments like freshwater tanks and ocean pens rather than being caught in the wild. In the video, farmed salmon is portrayed as a more affordable option compared to wild salmon, but it is also associated with issues like environmental pollution, parasites, and the use of antibiotics.

💡Wild Salmon

Wild salmon are those caught in their natural habitat, typically during their migration to spawn in freshwater streams. The video suggests that wild-caught salmon is considered healthier, containing fewer chemicals and higher nutritional value, compared to farmed salmon. It also emphasizes the environmental benefits of wild salmon over farmed alternatives.

💡Smolt

Smolt refers to the juvenile stage of salmon when they transition from freshwater to saltwater. In salmon farming, smolt are raised in freshwater tanks for 12 to 18 months before being transferred to ocean pens. The script highlights the critical role of this stage in both farmed and wild salmon populations.

💡Sea Lice

Sea lice are parasites that affect salmon populations, particularly in crowded fish farms. The video discusses how sea lice outbreaks in farmed salmon can spread to wild populations and the associated environmental and health concerns, such as pesticide use in fish feed to control lice.

💡Antibiotics

Antibiotics are drugs used in salmon farming to prevent or treat diseases that spread in densely populated fish farms. The video raises concerns about the overuse of antibiotics in farmed salmon and its potential effects on human health, as well as the risks it poses to the environment.

💡Pneumatic Piston

A pneumatic piston is a tool used to humanely kill farmed salmon by delivering a blow to the head. The video explains how modern salmon farms use this method to ensure the quality of the meat is not degraded before processing, maintaining high standards of quality control.

💡Purse Seine Nets

Purse seine nets are large fishing nets used to catch wild salmon by encircling schools of fish in the ocean. The video mentions that this is one of the most common methods for commercial fishing, but it also highlights concerns about bycatch, which can include marine mammals like dolphins and whales.

💡Bycatch

Bycatch refers to the unintentional capture of non-target species such as dolphins, whales, and sea turtles during commercial fishing. The video notes that although bycatch is less of an issue in salmon fishing compared to other fisheries, it still poses significant environmental concerns, particularly when protected species are harmed.

💡Fish Meal

Fish meal is a high-protein feed made from ground-up fish, commonly used in aquaculture to feed farmed salmon. The video touches on the environmental impact of fish meal production, which puts pressure on global fisheries as a third of all commercial fishing is used to produce it.

💡Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a sustainable farming system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) with hydroponics (growing plants in water). The video highlights a U.S.-based salmon farm that uses aquaponics to raise salmon and leafy greens simultaneously, ensuring efficient use of resources and reducing environmental impact.

Highlights

Farming salmon starts with hatching eggs in freshwater tanks for 12 to 18 months before transferring juvenile salmon to ocean pens.

Large sea pens can hold up to 990,000 fish, and modern harvesting techniques involve transporting them using wet well ships.

Farm-raised salmon are usually killed by a blow to the head and bled at the gills to maintain meat quality.

Wild salmon are primarily caught using purse seine nets and gill nets from their natural habitats as they return to spawn.

Refrigerated seawater systems on commercial boats keep wild-caught salmon near freezing until processing.

Fish processing plants produce fresh, frozen fillets, and smoked fish, while entrails, bones, and skin are turned into fish meal.

Ranching involves artificially stocking streams and lakes with juvenile salmon, which then mature and return naturally to spawn.

Wild salmon are considered more nutritionally pure than farmed salmon, with fewer calories, less fat, and lower sodium content.

Farmed salmon often contains more omega-3 fatty acids but is known to have higher concentrations of foreign chemicals.

Parasites and diseases are common in farmed fish due to the density in aquaculture environments, posing a threat to nearby wild populations.

Escaped farm fish can reduce the genetic diversity of wild stocks if they breed, or compete if non-native species.

Over 90% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, with salmon being a major import.

Land-based aquaculture systems use recirculating tanks to raise salmon in controlled environments, minimizing disease and environmental contaminants.

Superior Fresh, a U.S.-based company, combines aquaponics and recirculating aquaculture to grow both organic greens and salmon.

Land-based systems reduce the carbon footprint by eliminating the need to transport salmon over long distances, while preventing fish from escaping into wild ecosystems.

Transcripts

farmed salmon is generally raised in two

stages first the eggs are hatched and

raised on land in freshwater tanks for

12 to 18 months producing smult juvenile

salmon the smol are then transferred to

floating Nets or pens in the ocean where

they are fed pellets and grow for

another year or two a single large sea

pen can hold up to 990,000 fish

[Music]

modern harvesting techniques involve

using wet well ships to transport the

fish to the processing facility and fish

are usually killed by a blow to the head

with a Pneumatic piston and bled at the

gills this tightly controlled harvesting

process ensures that the quality of the

meat is not needlessly degraded once the

fish is dead most wild salmon are caught

in purse sen Nets and Gil Nets from the

natural ocean habitat usually as they

swim along the shoreline to return to

their home streams to spawn

[Music]

most commercial salmon boats have

refrigerated seawater systems to keep

the fish near freezing until delivery to

a processing facility or Tender quality

control varies by region and individual

vessels most fish freeze to death or

suffocate in the fish holds a single

vessel in Alaska may catch more than 1

million pounds during a productive

summer the season when Salmon spawn fish

processing plants May produce fresh and

frozen fillets smoke Oren the fish

[Applause]

[Music]

the entrails Bones skin of the fish are

often turned into fish meal in some

species of salmon the eggs are of

particular value many of the wild stocks

of salmon are at times enhanced with

Hatchery fish just as fish farms are

supplied with smol some streams and

lakes are artificially supplied with

smol this is called ranching these

juveniles mature in the wild and

naturally return to the streams where

they were stopped these fit

[Music]

[Music]

are essentially ranched fish but are

considered Wild by the USDA in processes

enhanced Fisheries have been highly

productive in Alaska Russia and Japan

wild CT salmon are considered the fish

industry equivalent of organic produce

and are said to be more nutritionally

and chemically pure than farmed salmon

the primary benefit of farmed salmon to

Consumers is in price and availability

the large- scale production achieved by

Fish Farms makes salmon available to

more consumers and drives down the price

of wild caught salmon while

[Music]

farm raised salmon is certainly a

healthy food USDA nutritional data shows

wild caught salmon to be a healthier

choice than farm raised wild caught

salmon has less calories less fat and

saturated fat more minerals and less

sodium than farm raised salmon farm

raised salmon also contain higher

concentrations of foreign chemicals and

without artificial dye the meat would be

a pale gray color

however farm-raised salmon are often

known to have more omega-3 fatty acids

[Music]

[Music]

the general consensus among ocean and

nutrition EXP B certainly lands on the

side of wild caught salmon is a

healthier and more environmentally

viable Choice than farm- raised salmon

however the aquaculture industry is

taking steps to address the issues that

plague the process in other words if

farmed with extremely stringent quality

conditions like in Norway farmed salmon

may be a better choice as it contains

more

omega-3 the inherent density of biomass

in fish farming leads to common problems

with parasites and disease among Farm

fish problems which often spread to

nearby wild stocks

[Music]

n

to combat these threats Farm fish are

often doused with antibiotics and drugs

to control outbreaks sea lice and

bacterial diseases have been found to

wipe out significant portions of wild

fish passing by even a relatively nassen

bacterial development when gone

undetected may be of serious health

concerns to the consumer especially when

eaten raw a major concern among critics

of aquiculture are the fish that escape

from pens during storms or accidents if

the fish are non-native species

they will compete with wild

[Music]

stocks if they are native they can breed

with wild stocks a reduce genetic

diversity Farm fish are often fed fish

meal and fish oil which puts pressure on

worldwide Fisheries as onethird of all

commercial fishing production goes

towards fish meal and fish oil watch

this eye openening video about salmon

when not farmed under proper conditions

while progress has been made in the

aquaculture industry to address the

pollution and contamination issues

associated with Fish Farms such as the

development of antimicrobial copper

Alloys for netting the consensus among

ocean Advocates remains that consumers

should avoid most Farm

[Music]

[Music]

salmon in many areas of the world's

oceans commercial fishing has been poly

managed and has led to depleted stocks

While most Pacific salmon Fisheries are

well-run 2013 was the most productive

commercial salmon season in Alaska's

history there is always the risk of

mismanagement and depletion of wild

stocks commercial Fisheries also

inevitably lead to small and large oil

spills and other environmental pressures

that come with operating so many

vehicles on the ocean

[Music]

by catch catching non-targeted fish and

mammal species is another issue although

by catch tends to be a relatively small

issue with sammon purse sing and Gil

netting animal rights activists have

taken issue with the slow death that

many commercial caught fish face however

Recent research suggests that salmon

might lack an adequate nervous system to

feel pain the wild caught salmon

industry supports many Pacific Coastal

communities and provides a fairly

widespread of the profits in the

industry

[Music]

the commercial salmon industry remains

largely based on small and family run

boats most fish farms on the other hand

are owned by large Agricultural

conglomerates and

corporations the current worldwide

production of farmed and raised salmon

would provide about one serving of

salmon per year to each person on Earth

and 60 to 70% of that meat comes from

aquaculture if the various issues

associated with aquaculture are

mitigated farm salmon could fulfill its

theoretical promise of easing pressure

on wild stocks and providing an

affordable and healthy source of protein

around the world

[Music]

by the time it reaches the cooler it can

be hard to tell much about the salmon in

your Supermarket Seafood section some

retailers include information about

whether the fish was farmed or wild

caught domestic or imported Etc but as

we're about to learn the world of farm

fish is a nuanced one and not all salmon

is created equal us-based commercial

Fisheries landed over 1 billion pound of

salmon in 2017 the most recent year for

which national totals are available

Alaskan Fisheries account for 97% of

total Landings bringing in 985 m 89448

[Music]

[Music]

C wild Atlantic salmon is an endangered

species fishing for it is prohibited in

most of the world this means that the

overwhelming majority of wild CAU salmon

sold in supermarkets are Pacific salmon

of which there are several distinct

species including pink Sakai coo Chum

and chuk wild Court chanuk salmon is

highly prized earning fishing fleets an

average of

$464 per pound in 2017 pink salmon is

the most plentiful variety accounting

for 49% of total Landings

495,000 cents per pound

[Music]

Pacific salmon are usually caught as

they migrate from the ocean back to

their freshwater spawning grounds while

coo and chuk salmon will strike baited

hooks or lurs Sakai and pink salmon

which eat primarily Krill and Plankton

generally won't commercial Fisheries use

two types of Nets to catch the majority

of the fish purse sen Nets and Gill Nets

these nets have common characteristics

they hang vertically in the water

stretched Tor between a weighted bottom

line and boy top line forming a sort of

curtain

[Music]

in the case of Gil Nets this curtain

extends horizontally fish swim into the

netting and become caught in the mesh

which is designed to allow the fish's

head to fit through but not its body

when the fish attempts to back out of

the net its gills become caught

increased agitation and struggling

typically results in the fish further

entangling itself in the net Pur sen

Nets are functionally similar to Gil

Nets in that they also suspended between

a boid Top Line and weighted bottom line

but rather than being extended

horizontally they encircle the fish

[Music]

these nets are equipped with a lead line

that allows the bottom of the net to be

drawn together much like a purse string

preventing the fish from escaping both

purse sen Nets and Gil Nets are

non-selective meaning they capture

anything that becomes caught in them

including protect species and marine

mammals species that are frequently

caught include bottlenose dolphins

humpback whales and sea turtles while it

is sometimes possible to extricate and

release these creatures in time for them

to survive they are often injured or

even killed by the sheer weight of the

catch or as a result of injury sustained

as they struggle against the net

[Music]

globally commercial Fisheries were

responsible for the deaths of 650,000

whales dolphins and seals each year

throughout the 1990s

as of 2018 Farm fish comprised roughly

73% of the world's salmon Supply when it

comes to Salmon the term farmed

generally refers to the practice of

raising fish in Marine cages large

enclosures located in sheltered Waters

such as fjs or Bays Atlantic salmon are

the primary species farmed although

small numbers of coo and chinuk salmon

are also produced

[Music]

[Music]

the biggest Global producers of farmed

Atlantic salmon in Norway Chile Scotland

and Canada the salmon farming production

process takes about 3 years initially

salmon are kept in freshwater systems

after about a year they are relocated to

seawater cages where they undergo

smoltification and after roughly two

more years grow to harvest size salmon

Farms contain large numbers of fish in

close proximity to Natural marine

ecosystems this population density

combined with the fact that the fish are

unable to follow normal migratory

patterns leads to high concentration of

waste material polluting the water and

adversely affecting local marine life

[Music]

cage culture captures none of the waste

material which is dispersed or settles

below the cages in otherwise pristin

Coastal environments disease and

parasites proliferate quickly in crowded

net pens posing a threat to Wild

populations sea life parasites that prey

primarily on salmon are becoming

particularly problematic in this regard

a recent report from the Scottish salmon

producers organization sspo shows that

total sea lice numbers on Scottish

salmon Farms nearly doubled in a sing

single year April 2018 to April 2019 sea

lice outbreaks in caged salmon are often

treated by adding pesticides to the fish

feed Accord

[Music]

according to NOA over 90% of the seafood

consumed in the United States of America

is imported salmon is one of the main

imported species

387,000 was imported in 2018 the

resources required to transport so many

tons of fish over such great distances

are astronomical particularly when flown

in fresh from Chile or Norway way the

latest innovation in Salmon farming

land-based systems use recirculating

aquaculture to raise salmon in tanks

while this

[Music]

this method is still relatively new it

is projected that landbased Farms will

produce 500,000 metric tons of salmon by

2026 an amount equivalent to 21% of

2017's Global Production 2.3 million

metric tons Superior fresh is the first

land-based salmon producer in the US and

the largest aquaponic Farm in the world

an aquaponic system is when a

recirculating aquaculture system is

combined with a hydroponic system

aquaculture and aquaponics are related

but distinct for our purposes we will

explain how our aquaponic Farm works we

[Music]

[Music]

incubate our eggs in our on-site

hatching room once they hatch our fish

are raised in a totally closed system

where we control all inputs and outputs

they are fed an organic diet rich in

fish meal and fish oil harvested from

sustainable Fisheries maintaining fish

welfare is Paramount throughout the

production process sea and obligate

pathogens are excluded to sustain fish

health rotational velocity of the water

in each tank is specific to the size of

the fish allowing them to swim

continuously and receive proper

[Music]

exercise waste material is perpetually

drawn out while fresh clean water is

added ensuring optimal water quality

when the fish are about 6 months old we

cue multif foration by controlling the

amount of light they receive to mimic

nature as the fish enter adolescence

they are moved to grout tanks where they

continue growing for another year once

they have reached 10 we Harvest and

process each fish by hand because the

fish are raised in a controlled system

they are protected from diseases and

environmental contaminants such as pcbs

and heavy metals found in river and

ocean environments

[Music]

then therefore our fish are never fed or

treated with antibiotics or

pesticides historically access to fresh

seafood has been limited to coastal

regions or has required transporting

food thousands of miles one of the

benefits of raising salmon on land is

that it can be done virtually anywhere

I.E adjacent to Major markets to supply

local fresh salmon eliminating the need

to transport the fish over long

distances and vastly reducing its carbon

footprint fish in controlled systems

cannot escape and do not interact with

or impact wild populations

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

in a typical land-based aquaculture

system the waste material produced by

the fish must be removed treated and

sometimes discharged in aquaponics that

waste is repurposed nitrifying bacteria

convert ammonia into nitrites and then

nitrates resulting in nutrient-rich

water ideal for growing plants once the

plants absorb the nutrients clean water

is returned to the fish house at

Superior fresh we produce 3 million of

organic leafy greens and 160,000 lb of

Premium salmon each year and we do it

without wasting a single drop of

[Music]