Farmed Vs Wild Salmon – Cost & Availbility
In our previous post we wrote about the culinary attributes of both farm-raised and wild salmon. But, there are other factors to consider when choosing which salmon to buy at the store, such as cost and seasonality.
What’s the price difference: farmed salmon vs wild salmon?
There are salmon farms with industry-leading practices that produce premium fish, and those fish do fetch higher market prices. Make sure to learn more about the farm’s standards and practices, and if you see something that seems too good to be true from a cost standpoint, it likely is.
With wild salmon, price is largely a supply and demand issue. Fresh, wild salmon is generally more expensive than farmed salmon because demand exceeds supply. There are five major wild salmon species that are sold commercially, and all at differing prices based on their quality, the region they were caught, the fishing method used, the time of year they were caught, and how they were handled, processed, and delivered to the market. Generally, wild salmon can cost 3-4 times more per pound than farmed salmon.
What is the availability of farmed salmon vs wild salmon?
The biggest difference between the two is fresh, farmed salmon is always available regardless of the time of year. Typically, fresh, wild salmon is only available in the spring and summer months, but there are some exceptions to this (previously frozen wild sockeye salmon can almost always be found at grocery stores).
Overall Cost and Availability:
Get to know our farm-raised, Icelandic salmon
Farmed:
- Generally lower price
- Available year-round (fresh and frozen)
- Only a few salmon species are farmed in large numbers (Atlantic & King), although there is a small production of other salmon species
- Longer shelf life
Wild:
- Generally higher cost
- Available Seasonally (spring & summer) – unless previously frozen or frozen
- Greater number of species available during the season
- Not always available in local grocery stores even during season, due to the generally high demand
- Shorter shelf life
Why is Icelandic seafood so sustainable?
Icelandic Fishing Sustainability Sustainability is just as much about supporting fishing communities and economic empowerment as it is about natural resource conservation. The fishing industry in Iceland doesn’t only support fishermen - it also supports adjacent industries like processing, technology and software. A sustainable fishery is one that’s willing to close its doors if needed, and for an island nation like Iceland, sustaining [...]
Trusting Brands, Retrofitting the Supply Chain, and Evolving the Customer Experience: A Rallying Cry for the Seafood Industry…
Trusting Brands, Retrofitting the Supply Chain, and Evolving the Customer Experience: A Rallying Cry for the Seafood Industry... By: Oliver Luckett When our company, Digisynd, was first bought by Disney, one of my heroes, Bob Iger, introduced our small rag-tag team as the insurgents. Later, I learned what he meant: "You are here in the belly of the beast, you are real, BUT you [...]
Should I be buying seafood online?
Should I be buying seafood online? Buying seafood online and getting it delivered to your home is an ideal way to adventure with seafood comfortably in your own kitchen and eat more nutritious fish! We know shopping for ingredients online can be overwhelming, so we’ve broken down some options and purchasing tips here: Subscription boxes and eCommerce sites There are many online subscription boxes [...]