New research on the nutritional value of Atlantic salmon

USDA specialists published a paper in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition stating that farmed Atlantic salmon contains 63.8% less eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 47.5% less docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These figures were compared with older federal data on the nutritional value of fish. According to the researchers, the difference may be attributed to changes in fish **feed**, as marine fish oils on fish farms are increasingly being replaced with vegetable oils.

To conduct the analysis, eight fillets of farmed Atlantic salmon were purchased from retail outlets in the Mid-Atlantic region. A USDA representative explained that the sample size was based on standard methods for assessing changes in **nutrients** levels, and the results themselves should not discourage consumers from eating such fish, which remains a nutritious source of omega-3.

Chef and co-author of "The Blue Food Cookbook" Andrew Zimmern questioned the study's conclusions, pointing out that a limited sample of producers from Chile may not reflect the situation across the aquaculture industry as a whole. According to him, farming methods vary greatly, and instead of giving up farmed fish, the focus should be on improving seafood sourcing and developing aquaculture.