Study cautions consumers about farmed salmon

A new study in the journal Science suggests consumers limit the amount of farmed salmon they eat.

That's because researchers found farmed salmon from Europe and North America, have higher levels of harmful chemicals like DDT, dioxins, and PCBs than wild salmon.

Jeffery Foran, a toxicologist and author of the study, says the data suggests that farmed salmon should be consumed less than once a month to avoid an increased health risk.

"What our study suggests is that there are some fish that are carrying these burdens of contaminants and because of that should be avoided and at the same time we show that there are alternatives that are equally as heart healthy , that people can eat and get the benefit from eating the fish and at the same time reduce their risk considerably because they reducing the contaminants."

Listen to Mainstreet's Gary Mittleholtz interview Jeffery Foran

From cbc.ca: Study raises questions about safety of farmed salmon

Salmon growers say benefits outweigh any risks

The New Brunswick Salmon Growers Association says the health benefits of farmed salmon far outweigh the risks.

Nell Halse, general manager of the Salmon Growers' Association, says it would be devastating if consumers lost confidence in farmed salmon.

"This is a very serious issue for us because we have 4,000 people in New Brunswick who make a living from the salmon farming industry so of course it is in their best interest to make sure that consumers are confident in their product because it would have a devastating effect on our communities and our economy if in fact people turned away from salmon."

The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish every week, especially fatty fish such as salmon.

Halse says she stands by that recommendation when it comes to farmed salmon.

"The difference with this study compared to a previous one that came out by the environmental working group is that it has looked at a lot more fish. The end result is very much the same that you know the risks are far outweighed by the benefits."