# Wild-caught salmon from Wal-mart? OK or no?



## momileigh (Oct 29, 2002)

I don't do a lot of Wal-Mart shopping. But I was there the other day picking up my daughter's glasses (not hard to justify supporting the evil empire when they're only $40 a pair) and I noticed these frozen wild salmon filets at an incredible price. It was a whole fillet (or would it be half? one full fish-length) divided into 4 generous portions for less than $7. On the package it specified it was caught off the coast of Japan and showed the "fishing area" on a little map. I decided to try it and it was good. Would have been better if I had taken the time to marinate it.

We have been struggling with the price of good food. We eat mostly organic. Any non-organic meat we eat is at least humanely and cleanly raised. But the fish at Whole Foods is always so expensive, and since I don't love fish, we haven't been eating much of it. (I will splurge on something I love but have a hard time spending a lot on fish!) So I'm considering making this Wal-Mart fish a weekly feature. BUT before I do that, I really want to see if anyone knows anything, um, "fishy" about it!

Is there anything wrong with Japanese-caught salmon? Is the water there much worse than say, the water in Alaska or Norway? Without being totally paranoid, is there something I should be wary of? I've done some searching online but I haven't found anything worrisome yet.


----------



## primjillie (May 4, 2004)

I don't trust WalMart, so I say no. I wouldn't shop there if they gave everything free. (So I may not be the most unbiased person


----------



## BurgundyElephant (Feb 17, 2006)

Well, here's what the Monterey Aquarium fishwatch says about salmon - http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatc...et.aspx?fid=27 They don't mention Japanese Wild-Caught. Knowing Wal-Mart and knowing their business practices, where do you think their salmon falls on the list? Probably better than farmed but not great. You can also look at the methods of fishing - http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.asp.

I have to agree with primjillie. I'd rather do without than buy at Wal-Mart.


----------



## justsducky (Oct 17, 2006)

It's hard to find quality food at an affordable price so Walmart really feeds on that niche. I don't agree with their principals or their practices so I'd probably avoid it.

Lisa


----------



## rayo de sol (Sep 28, 2006)

Consumer Reports ran an article in August about how stores lie and label farmed salmon as "wild" in order to charge more money for the fish. Read the article for yourself:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/f...rchTerm=salmon

The wild salmon season is only May-September. Maybe that wild salmon from Walmart is legitimate because it's frozen, not fresh, but I've never heard of wild salmon from Japan before. Also, I would never shop at Walmart either so I don't trust them.

Farmed salmon is the most contaminated food; it has the highest level of PCBs of any food.


----------



## momileigh (Oct 29, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *primjillie* 
I don't trust WalMart, so I say no. I wouldn't shop there if they gave everything free. (So I may not be the most unbiased person 

Wow, you make me feel like such a whore!







If Wal-Mart gave everything away free I might never buy anything again!









Thanks for the links... I would never buy farmed salmon, and I wouldn't trust Wal-mart's "seafood department" to label wild salmon honestly. But this stuff is pre-packaged by a company. It isn't a Wal-Mart brand. (But I don't remember what brand it is!) So to me it isn't so much a Wal-Mart trust issue on the health side of things. Too bad no website seems to be referencing Japanese salmon... hmmm... weird...

On the ethics side of things, I know you're right, I know you're right. BUT. There's this huge BUT in my head telling me that it is the lesser of two evils, because I don't want my kids to grow up never eating fish. And its only $7 on what can't be a huge profit margin, so its not like I'm snapping up their flat-screened tvs or anything. Very funny, laugh at my rationalizations!

I guess I need to find out the brand name and look up the company that packages it for more info.


----------



## ASusan (Jun 6, 2006)

Ya know what? We buy our HUGE salmon fillets at Sam's Club. Yup. DH cooks fish, loves it, loves cooking, likes to help with the shopping if he can buy his salmon at Sam's Club. So, we're eating Wal-Mart fish a couple of times a month. (Sam's is owned by Wal-mart.)

If I don't have to cook it, AND I get help in the purchasing of it, I am MUCH more generous with where it's purchased.


----------



## granolahead (Aug 17, 2006)

I know it's hard to find time to read a whole book when you're busy with kids, but dh and I were able to find time to read "The Wal-mart Effect" by Charles Fishman, and we are very glad that we did. There is a whole chapter about Wal-mart's shockingly cheap salmon. Even though the stuff you've found is from off the coast of Japan and not Chile like the salmon talked about in the book, the same issues are, or will become, a problem, because of the pressure Wal-mart puts on suppliers.

It is sad to think that our kids might not taste fish very often, unless we visit family in Idaho and actually go catch them ourselves. However, I feel that our family's overall quality of life won't suffer as a result of eating closer to home. I even believe our quality of life will improve, because we're eating what THIS particular area (Upstate New York, in our case) has to offer, and enjoying the abundance of delicious local food so much that most of the time, we don't even miss the fish (or bananas, or pineapple, or olives). We're still trying to cut out orance juice...that'll be a toughie. But I'm rambling, so I'd better stop. Best of luck, and if you just have time to skim that chapter of the book, it might help you decide what to do.


----------



## momileigh (Oct 29, 2002)

Thanks Shauna, I will make the time to read at least that chapter!


----------

