Salmon

Guide Note

Salmon is one of the most popular edible fish in North America, due to its abundance and versatile cooking styles. Salmon is popular baked, cured, smoked, barbecued and served raw as sashimi.

One of salmon's most frequently heralded health benefits is its abundance of Omega-3 fatty acids. These are an unsaturated form of fatty acid that have been shown through studies to reduce the risk of heart disease and add to cardiovascular health.

Salmon has several other qualities that provide health benefits to humans, including high protein and Vitamin D content.

As with most fish, however, salmon should not be consumed more than once or twice a week, due to the high level of dioxins found in farmed salmon. Consistently eating foods with high dioxin content can aid in the formation of cancerous cells.

The wild population of Atlantic salmon has decreased significantly since the mid-20th century due to overfishing, dam and irrigation construction, and rising ocean temperatures. Several governments have enacted policies to slow down the salmon population decline. Fish farming in Alaska is outlawed, and thus Alaska's salmon population still thrives.

Fast Facts

1. Rich in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids
2. Excellent source of tryptophan and Vitamin D
3. Almost all canned salmon are from the Pacific Ocean.
4. Atlantic Salmon: 99% farmed
5. Pacific Salmon: 80% wild-caught
6. Lox: Cold-smoked or brine-cured salmon