Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar)

About

It’s not quite chicken of the sea, but it’s getting close. Atlantic salmon are now farmed around the world, from Australia to Norway, Chile to China. And fish farmers are getting very good at it. Since 1990, they have cut their production costs almost in half, taking a fish that was once served only in the most expensive restaurants to seafood cases around Europe, North America and Asia.

The U.S. appetite for farmed Atlantic salmon has grown rapidly. Between 1990 and 1999 U.S. farmed Atlantic consumption has grown from less than 25,000 tons to about 150,000 tons.

Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, accounts for more than 95% of all the pen-raised salmon in the world. Norway, which harvests about 350,000 tons a year, and Chile, which harvests about 120,000 tons, are the two leading producers. It takes about 30 to 36 months to raise an Atlantic salmon from an egg to a market size of about 10 pounds.

Sourcing

We have used Salmon all the way from the Faroe Islands which is about a 5,000 mile one way trip to much closer but still remote Northern Canada. Currently we purchase Salmon that is farm raised in the North Atlantic off the coast of Maine.

Nutrition