Farmed Atlantic Salmon Improvement Project

GIANT® is partnering with the New England Aquarium, through the ChoiceCatch® program, to encourage salmon farms to work towards environmental sustainability. Below are descriptions of many ways in which we are working with salmon farms on improvements.

Farmed Atlantic Salmon Diet:
Farmed salmon are fed a formulated feed that contains many ingredients including fishmeal and fish oil which come from wild fish. Fish meal and fish oil are important protein components in farmed salmon diets. The salmon industry has already decreased the use of wild fish necessary to make these components by increasing feed efficiency and utilizing alternative inputs. The ChoiceCatch® program encourages our farms to use feed as efficiently as possible and to source fishmeal and fish oil from healthy fisheries.

Another common ingredient in farmed Atlantic salmon feed is a pigment called astaxanthin. In the wild, salmon feed on shrimp and krill that contain the pigment astaxanthin. Salmon store this pigment resulting in their pink coloring. Farmed salmon feeds contain a pigment which is almost identical to natural astaxanthin which gives them this same coloration. The use of this pigment is FDA-approved for salmon farming.

Pollution
Most salmon are farmed in floating net pens in open water which means pollution in the form of uneaten food or salmon waste fall through the nets and ends up in the surrounding waters. Farms must ensure this pollution is not excessive, in part because high levels of pollution could cause decreased growth in fish. At GIANT® we aim to reduce the environmental impact of salmon aquaculture by working with farms to reduce pollution.

Contaminants
Manufactured contaminants are everywhere, and farmed salmon, along with many other foods, contain some levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). You can be assured that GIANT® takes the quality of their product very seriously, and levels of PCBs in our farmed and wild salmon are well within FDA limits and recommendations.

Escapes
Salmon escapes are costly to the farmer and potentially harmful to native wild salmon and other species, making escape prevention a major concern. Farmers use a combination of equipment and management techniques to avoid escapes. Unfortunately, escapes occasionally happen due to damage to the fish enclosures from severe weather or hungry predators. GIANT® is committed to sourcing from farms that work to reduce both the magnitude and frequency of escapes.

Fish Health
Fish health and welfare is important in salmon aquaculture. Improper management practices can increase stress on farmed salmon resulting in a greater number of disease outbreaks. Since disease can cause severe economic losses to a farm medications and antibiotics are used to control outbreaks. The farmed Atlantic salmon improvement project works to identify farms that reduce their use of medications and antibiotics by using good management practices to minimize stress on farmed fish and lower the number of disease outbreaks. Furthermore, in the instances when medications are used it is done so in a responsible manner and overseen by a licensed professional. The use of medications or antibiotics in farmed salmon is a FDA regulated process to ensure food safety.

Energy Use
Aquaculture uses energy which increases CO2 output and impacts global climate change. GIANT® encourages their supply farms to monitor and conserve energy use wherever possible.