Just curious as to others thoughts about them. Personally i think their product tastes like s#*t .I do believe that there existence is effecting commercial fisheries. I'm unsure of any ill effects the farms could cause like disease to other fish, polluting the areas around the farms etc .After watching the fish counter in Costco yesterday for about an hour while my wife was shopping i know somebody's making a lot of money off them.

Most of the salmon you buy in restaurants is farmed Atlantic salmon because it is cheap and most people can't tell the difference.

I agree, the Atlantic salmon is junk compared to most migrating salmon we get in Puget Sound.

On the other hand, I would rather see restaurants buying farmed fish instead of troll-caught fish. Then the commercial trollers won't have a reason to troll if there is no market for troll-caught fish.

What costco isn,t selling over here, fred meyer is.Alot of my friends cannot believe how cheap salmon and steelhead has gotten at the market.They picture the old romantic Gorden seafood guy out there catching there dinner and would probably puke if they actually saw what that fish looked like before processing.Seriosly,Those are some ****ed up looking fish.We had the big "escape" a few years back over here and those things were every where.No fins,sores on there bodys,deformed from whatever.

I agree on the quality too,but I have been known to feed them to company.I do like the farm steelhead smoked though.I think the extra fats does it some good.

Did you guys know that every year the numbers of Atlantic salmon smolts that are being trapped at the Mayfield Dam fish collection facilities on the Cowlitz River are increasing? The last time I heard (about 2 years ago) they were catching about 100 a year and steadily increasing each year after! Only WDFW and Tacoma know what the reel numbers are now. Funny, you NEVER hear a word about it do you . . . I wonder why???

Why doesn't anyone ask our great WDFW how could that be? I know why, they know why, Salmo G knows why, and you all wonder why I am so down on the WDFW sometimes. Do the words "Atlantic Fish Farmer" ring a bell?

Time will tell what their long term effects will be to the Cowlitz River and her fishery.

Cowlitzfisherman

When they had the big escape over here fromthe farm there in Rich passage WDFW turned everybody and there uncle loose on those fish.They basicly took all the rules away and told everybody snag, net I do not care just catch them.They were afraid if them entering our freshwater systems and mingling with the native tocks.

It was a sad thing because these do gooder fishermen killed more salmon smolt than they did the atlantics.like you said CW they have not aid much since.

Aunty

Must be another one of those "win-win" deals!


The bad part about it......they are not even my boxes!!

Cowlitzfisherman

Different take on fish farms. Numerous salmon runs on the West Coast of Vancouver Island are continuing to dwindle when other runs are increasing. All the dwindling runs are returning to river systems that have numerous fish farms in the inlet near them. DFO is looking at this at the encouragement of fishing interests on the west coast.

Have we ever considered that those farms may actually reduce the number of native fish that are harvested by commercial fishers? I have no proof or stats, but IMO if we feed Atlantics to those buying salmon at Costco, Albertsons, or where ever, they may not care what kind... As long as they are oblivious to the difference then let them eat that junk and save the rest for us.