Salmon can be farmed sustainably with minimal ecological damage, but the industry must adopt standards to protect the environment. For the past two decades, farmed salmon has become a major source of seafood, outselling wild-caught salmon 4 to 1. This has led to:
- High demand for wild forage fish used to feed increasing numbers of farmed salmon.
- Nutrient and chemical pollution in once-pristine marine ecosystems.
- The spread of parasites and diseases to wild juvenile salmon.
- Extensive escapes of farmed fish into the wild.