Why eat wild?!

As we complete our first week of bringing fresh certified sustainable, certified wild caught sockeye salmon to Northern Colorado it has occurred to me that I have never publicly explained why you (the consumer) should eat wild caught (Pacific) sockeye over (Atlantic) farmed salmon, which is traditionally found in grocery stores and restaurants alike. My answer. Because of the unbeatable texture and fantastic flavor of the red (sockeye) salmon.

 Wild caught sockeye has a diverse diet of “zooplankton (tiny floating animals), amphipods (small shrimp like crustaceans), and insects” throughout its life (NOAA). The krill-like creatures (much like a flamingo) is what makes the salmon meat so beautifully red, lean and firm.  Atlantic (farmed salmon) on the other hand are raised on a diet of “fish meal, fish oil and small forage fish” (NOAA), which makes it grey in color and mushy in texture. Farmed fish are raised and contained in a confined area—meaning that what they breath in IS ALSO what they are putting out. So yes, they are essentially raised (and breathing in) their own excrements until they are harvested for your restaurant dinner. Certified wild caught, certified sustainable sockeye salmon have the entirety of the ocean as their playground and free to eat and go where they please.

~Des