Walk on the Wild Side: Wild-Caught Salmon

Hi, Moink-ers! It’s Lucinda, Head Hen of Moink. It’s Wednesday, so that means I get to give you my two cents (But you’re probably starting to figure out I’ll give that any day of the week!). When you buy salmon, or any meat, remember these famous words of wisdom from poet Henry David Thoreau. “All good things are wild and free.”

Sometimes, the healthiest food option is obvious. Grilled over fried, green veggie over white starch, lemon water over tequila shot (Although, sometimes it’s healthiest for everyone if mommy has a margarita!). But when it comes to buying meat, the average shopper is often completely oblivious or misinformed about the best choice, or they don’t know where to find it. Others are highly educated but feel totally overwhelmed by all the disturbing information and what they can actually do about it. That’s where I come in. You know you can always count on me to give you the scoop about food without any sugarcoating!

wild-caught salmon

Buying high-quality fish is especially complicated. We’re told that fish is rich in heart-healthy Omega-3s, B vitamins and antioxidants, and we should be incorporating the low-calorie protein into our diet a couple times a week. But then we’re also hearing more and more about all the unethical and unhealthy fish farming practices, and toxic chemicals and metals found in store-bought fish. It’s hard to tell if the health benefits of the country’s second popular seafood item outweigh all the risks.

wild-caught salmon
Fishy Farming Practices

The majority of the salmon available in the U.S. is farm-raised, which means the fish are kept in captivity in cages or nets until they’re harvested. Whenever any animal is kept in crowded conditions, contamination and disease becomes an issue, so vaccines and antibiotics are given to control infections. Dangerous levels of carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, build up in the fatty tissue of the fish from water pollution and the ground up fish they’re fed. Farmed salmon has also been found to contain toxins like methylmercury and dioxins, and farms have even been accused of fostering disease, polluting our oceans and spreading sea lice (gross!).

Another not-so-fun fact I recently learned is that farm-raised salmon are naturally white since they’re unable to feed on crustaceans from their environment like nature intended. Farms deal with this by giving the salmon a chemical feed that changes the color of their flesh to that pretty reddish-pink color. Grocery store shoppers have no ideas that the brightly-colored salmon they’re bringing home to nourish their family is actually harmful. It’s just so wrong!

Go Straight To A Trusted Source: Wild-Caught Salmon

While farming practices are improving to become more sustainable in recent years, there’s a lot of shady politics and loopholes involved in the regulation process (shocker!). Once again, the only way to really feel confident about the quality of your food is to know who stands behind it.

wild-caught salmon

That’s why Moink skips the big fish farm middle man and works directly with the fisherman. We partner with Captain Tony Wood of Wild Alaska Salmon & Seafood Company, who harvests fresh, wild sockeye salmon straight from the crystal-clear waters of Bristol Bay, Alaska. His fish is caught, processed and delivered right to your doorstep while it’s still at peak freshness and flavor. No confinement, processed feed or shady coloring necessary! We love that Tony and his wife Heather share our mission for ethically-raised meat, and are dedicated to the care and protection of the Alaskan wilderness.

WILD ALASKA SALMON & SEAFOOD CO.

Finding the most flavorful, responsibly-sourced, wild Alaskan salmon doesn’t have to be complicated! Want it delivered right to your door? Try a Moink Box today.

 


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