“Salmon Ranching” can be defined as the “artificial propagation of juvenile salmon for release into ocean basins”.
Salmon ranching may also be referred to as “ocean ranching”. Others may refer to it as “salmon enhancement”, but it isn’t.
Simply, salmon ranching refers to a process by which indigenous salmon are initially caught and stripped of eggs and milt. The fertilized eggs are then cultured in a hatchery where they will hatch and begin feeding on a feed powder. Mimicking the natural life cycle of a wild salmon, these salmon are then transported from freshwater hatcheries to saltwater fish farms. The juvenile salmon continued to be cultured in saltwater fish farms using net pens to contain the salmon. While in net pens, salmon are fed feed pellets to gain size and strength. Also, by remaining captive in an area suitable for a future commercial fishery, the salmon are “imprinted” to the area where they are temporarily farmed. Imprinting ensures that these cultured salmon return to the same place where they were “born” – similar to natural, wild salmon. Once large enough to successfully compete with wild salmon for food and space, these cultured salmon are released into the ocean to forage for food (referred to as “ranching”). Depending on the species of salmon (Pink, Chum, Coho, Chinook or Sockeye), they will return to their birthplace in two to four years. Upon return, a mixture of wild and ranched salmon are caught by commercial and sports salmon fisherman. Selected salmon are also retained by the source hatchery to be used again for eggs and milt – thus repeating the process.
Salmon ranching exploded in the mid 1970s
In 2008, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported that 146 million salmon were commercially harvested. Of this, 60 million salmon were identified as ocean ranched. Therefore, in 2008, ocean ranched salmon represented over 41% of the commercial catch in Alaska.
8 responses so far ↓
Michael Tim // February 28, 2009 at 6:09 pm |
I love your site!
The Truth About Alaska Salmon // March 6, 2009 at 5:50 pm |
Thanks Michael. We love it too!
Joe // March 29, 2009 at 3:28 pm |
Great site, cool article. I made several calls trying to find out the difference between “Wild” salmon & “Wild Caught” (ranched salmon) before I found your site. Thanks for clearing that up.
How on earth do commercial & sport fisherman tell tell these two types of salmon apart after catching them together?????????? There must be a way, since packages are labeled so at the grocery store. Is there any nutritional or health advantage of wild over wild caught as there is with wild over farm raised?
Thanks again, I look forward to hearing from you.
Joe
The Truth About Alaska Salmon // March 29, 2009 at 5:45 pm |
Dear Joe;
Good questions.
It is almost impossible to look at the surface of a salmon and distinguish what is truly “wild” and what is “wild caught”. Fin clipping used to be common, but rarely used nowadays. Today there is a much cooler and scientific way of telling the difference. Hatcheries now have a “code” which they can imprint on the ear bone (called “otolith”). By changing water temperatures in early stages of a salmon’s life (each hatchery has a unique mark), the otolith bone is marked (similar to the growth rings of a tree). Although this gives the State a good idea of what percentage of salmon commercially caught is wild or hatchery origin, this information is not used in the market. Therefore all salmon is lumped in together and will be sold as either “wild” or “wild caught”. As for sport fishermen, I really don’t think they care, as long as they’re catching salmon!
You ask if there is nutrional advantages of wild over wild caught? No difference from the studies I’ve seen, it’s all pretty similar – healthy that is. By the way, we also feel the health benefits are equal between wild, ranched and farmed. Omega 3 levels are similar and contaminant levels in salmon are similar whether it’s wild, ranched or farmed. Don’t be fooled by “studies” that are nothing more than marketing tools. We can back this up with science if you’d like.
So to be clear, we support aquaculture. This site was designed simply to educate the consumer on the unfair marketing games played by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (not admitting they culture salmon and the tireless attacks on salmon farmers) and to help people decide on what they see as a sustainable way of providing salmon to a growing market.
Joe // March 31, 2009 at 8:35 pm |
Thanks for your response and information. If I understand you correctly, the hatchery can “imprint” a certain mark on the salmon’s ear bone by changing the water temperature and than recognize this mark years later when the salmon returns? Does “imprint” also mean something to do with the salmon remembering the enviroment in which they were born so they may return later in life?
And finally, you said the information “wild” or “hatchery origin” salmon is not used in the marketplace. The store I shop sells both wild and wild caught salmon. Does this mean that their salmon supplier is testing their catch to determine hatcery or wild origins?
Thanks again, Joe
The Truth About Alaska Salmon // April 1, 2009 at 4:55 am |
Hey Joe;
Perhaps we should just use the word “marking” for the rings marks on the otolith (ear bone) and reserve the word “imprinting” for the process by which the hatchery will place a salmon in a certain region when entered into salt water so the salmon will return to that spot for harvest. Might stop the confusion. As an aside, there is still debate as to how much of a salmon’s memory is imprinted during it’s freshwater and/or saltwater phase.
As for the marketplace information as to origin or aquaculture type, we’re not sure which state your from or what the laws are for labeling. The term “wild caught” or “line caught” was invented as a way of circumventing the need to distinguish between hatchery origin or truly wild. As 1 in 3 salmon from Alaska are from hatchery origin (that’s a general average – different species will be a lower or higher ratio), it’s a sure bet that the by using those terms you’ve got it covered whether it’s wild, ranched, enhanced etc. We doubt (with 99% certainty) that the supplier is testing the otolith bones to determine whether wild or ranched. If you can get away with calling it a name that sounds “wild” then you may be able to squeeze more $/pound.
You should simply ask the supplier you are referring to what they do to determine whether they label it “wild” or “wild caught” and why they feel the need to distinguish. Let us know if you find out, cause now you’ve peaked our interest!
Alaska’s salmon go missing. Why? « Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub // August 21, 2009 at 6:47 am |
[...] Consumers may see only the rise in price and a change in labeling in the supermarket. [...]
Cole // October 22, 2009 at 4:28 am |
Most of us don’t have the equipment to check the “growth rings” on otoliths, however, there is a way that the layman can check if a salmon was cultured in a hatchery or if it was truly a wild salmon.
Check its fins. If there is any eroding or scarring on the fins it is most likely that they were at one time it tanks, raceways or cages. When trout and salmon are crowded into and grown in man made enclosures their fins are almost always damaged and the scaring of the fins lasts until the day they die.
Now if you purchase your salmon in fillets in a supermarket you won’t see any fins, however, if you purchase in a seafood market, like Pike’s Place, you can check out the fins.