As San Diego Prepares for a Huge Fish Farm, Fish Eaters Should

Wonder About the Health Risks of Eating Farmed Fish.

Do the Benefits of Fish Farming Outweigh the Health Risks of Eating Farmed Fish?

Chloe Phillips nice

Picture this: Its a Sunday afternoon. You just bought afreshpieceoflocallyraisedsalmonfromyour

neighborhood market. Your salmon was raised on a fish farm. Local fish is far more fresh than fish

imported from foreign areas. Most peopledontrealizethatapproximately91%offisheatenintheUnited

States is imported from other countries. Farmed fish may be fresh, but do the benefits of fish farming

outweigh the health risks of eating farmed fish?

Mostpeopledontrealizethatapproximately91%offisheatenintheUnitedStatesisimportedfrom

other countries. Fish farms are a form or aquaculture where the fish are raised and bredinanenclosureor

tanks. The species of fish that are most frequently farmed are catfish, cod, tilapia, and salmon.

The vast majority of Americans have never seen a fish farm, but San Diegans may haveachanceto

see one in the near future ifRoseCanyonFisheries,acollaborationofHubbs-SeaWorldResearchInstitute

and Cuna del Mar has their way. They are planning to build a large fish farms between Sunset Cliffs to

Misson Bay in San Diego. Fish farms are a form or aquaculture where the fish are raised and bred in an

enclosure or tanks. The species offishthataremostfrequentlyfarmedarecatfish,cod,tilapia,andsalmon.

With this proposed development in the works, everyone should educate themselves about the potential

health risks of eating farmed fish. Like most people, I have never visited a fish farm, so I reached out to

someone who has. Armand de la Garza, a Biology student from California StateUniversityofLongBeach

explained that Peopledontrealizethatthefisharesocloselyconfinedtogetherthattheyaresusceptible

to sickness and disease. Because of this, their food has to be supplemented to treat their disease. Also,

farmed fish dont eat the same things that fish in the wild eat. They are fed pellets which is made up of

ground up fish, so the consumer ends up eating fish that is not eating what would be a normal diet for

them. (de la Garza).



One significant benefit of farmed fish is that it lessens the amount of fish imported from outside the

U.S. The price of farmed fish is often cheaper for the consumer because the fish does not need to be

shipped and stored from other countries. If Rose Canyon Fisheries does build a fish farm in San Diego,

Americans may benefit from lowered price of fish. While consumers would be happy tohavelowerprices

of their fish, these low prices could encourage people to eat more fish and be less likely to consider any

health risks of these cheaper, farmed fish.

Although having a fish farm in San Diego may appealingtofishlovers,weneedtobecautiousabout

potential health risks of eating farmed fish. A study was conducted by researchers at the University of

Indiana that analyzed farmed salmon and wild salmon from around the world. The study examined the

amount of a contaminant called organochlorine in the salmon samples. The scientistsfoundtwothings:1)

farmed salmon raised in Europe had a significantly greater amount of contaminant than farmed salmon

raised in North and South America, and 2) farm salmon in general is contaminated with organochlorine

more than salmon from the wild. (Hites)

In addition to being contaminated, farmed fish has been found to have other problems that could

pose health risks to the consumer. According to Dr. Axe, a certified doctor of natural medicine and

nutritionist, farmedfishhashigherlevelsofantibioticsandhasloweramountofusableomega-3fattyacids

and protein. Dr. Axe states, Farmed fish are fattier andhaveahighconcentrationofomega-6fattyacids.

Imbalances in the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids create inflammation in the body. Some

health benefits from fish aren't even produced by thefishthemselves.Forexample,themicroscopicalgae

that are living in the water produce them, the fish eat them andthefishbecomerichinomegafattyacids,

which is important for human nutrition.

Many of us were already aware that wild caught fish is considered the healthier option comparedto

farmed fish, but not informed about the science behind this. With a newfishfarmlikelytobebuiltinSan

Diego, there isnt a bettertimetoconsider,morethanever,toconsiderwhethertheconvenienceofcheap,

 local farmed fish is worth the health risks.

Works Cited

Axe, Dr. Josh. The Dangers of Farmed Fish. Dr. Axe, 21 June 2017, draxe.com/the-dangers-of-farmed-fish/

de la Garza, Armand. Personal Interview. 2 November 2017.

Fisheries, NOAA. Fishing & Seafood. N

OAA Fisheries, NOAA,

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/fishing-and-seafood. 14 November 2017.

Hites, R. A. Global Assessment of Organic Contaminants in Farmed Salmon. Science, vol. 303, no. 5655,

Sept. 2004, pp. 226229., doi:10.1126/science.1091447.

Axe, Dr. Josh. The Dangers of Farmed Fish. Dr. Axe, 21 June 2017, draxe.com/the-dangers-of-farmed-fish/

de la Garza, Armand. Personal Interview. 2 November 2017.

Hites, R. A. Global Assessment of Organic Contaminants in Farmed Salmon. Science, vol. 303, no. 5655,

Sept. 2004, pp. 226229., doi:10.1126/science.1091447.