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Pacific Salmon Aquaculture

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Pacific salmon are a major driver in Washington’s economy. Although the wild salmon population has increased slightly since the legislation passed by Washington in 2011 regarding the restoration of Pacific salmon, I believe a major issue still lies ahead regarding salmon aquaculture. Salmon aquaculture, or salmon farming, refers to the manufacturing of salmon from egg by using open net systems in oceans. With the current National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declaring the United States marine aquaculture industry to be valued at over $1.2 billion, the industry of farmed seafood will never be diminished fully. As this national empire increases, it is crucial that government set regulations for the impact that the aquaculture …show more content…

One of the main health debates stems from the issue of sea lice. In many research studies, it was found that sea lice were being transferred from the farms to juvenile wild salmon. To reduce the spread of sea lice outside of the farms, the industries started to add emamectin benzoate, marketed as SLICE, to the farmed fishing feed. SLICE contains chemicals that are classified as amectins which contain synthetic pyrethins that cause irreversible nerve damage (Ramstad, Colquhoun, Nordmo, Sutherland, Simmons 2002). Recent reports and studies conducted have reported that these toxins are being found in several species of bottom feeders. Another major impact on health is the public knowledge on Omega-3 in wild versus farmed salmon. The amount of Omega-3 found in farmed salmon greatly varies dependent on the amount of protein in the feed. If more fish are in the feed, the higher the Omega-3 content, but if the fish are replaced with fillers such as grain or soy then this significantly decreases the amount of Omega-3. This decrease in Omega-3 is not required on packaging to the …show more content…

Many of the aquaculture farms propose a great environmental concern. The waste produced by farms using pesticides, antibiotics, and chemicals propose a threat to many different aspects of the aquatic ecosystems. When millions of farmed fish are penned in small enclosure, waste and feces that culminate on the oceans floor are starting to impact other species such as high levels of emamectin benzoate found in wild pacific caught shellfish (Johnsen, Grahl-Nielsen, Lunestad

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